Lady Arie
by Storyjumper
Summary: Arie rides to Corus to warn the king and queen of threat that could bring Tortall to its knees and could if brought to fruition destroy the precious Dominion Jewel. Arie keeps many secrets including her parentage, and heritage. Her magic is another matter, death magic unsettles most and gains enemies anywhere. This book takes place after Protector of the Small, please review
1. Chapter 1

"Hurry SandStorm! Hurry!" The cloaked sorceresses urged her stallion. The horse didn't falter a single step as he pounded down the great road in almost total darkness. Corus could be seen glowing in the distance; a large beacon in the night.

 _If I move any faster you will not make it little one._ Was the horse's breathlessly reply. He didn't show it, but he was afraid for his human friend. He could smell the blood that was sliding down her flanks and the wetness of it on his own. She hadn't even bothered to stop and remove the arrow which was being shifted around with each step he took. The stallion could actually feel her pain, not something Arie would have allowed if she wasn't so drained.

"Just go! We must make it to the king." Arie hunkered down so she was almost even with SandStorm's face. "Let nothing stand in your way my friend."

The horse felt some of his rider's Gift slide into him. He should have protested. SandStorm knew Arie, he could see the pain each step caused, jolting the still bleeding wound. She grit her teeth against the pain. Blue green fire of her Gift wrapped the arrow shaft. That would prevent the arrow from shifting and causing more damage, and hopefully numb the flesh. It was a temporary solution and Arie knew it. Already she was starting to feel dizzy, but that could also be from the blood loss, which wasn't helping either. Finally the city spread out before them.

SandStorm didn't so much a slow down when he hit the tighter city streets. Nor did he slow when the few people who were out in the streets at this time of night yelled and shouted as they dived out the way of the horse's thundering hooves. Curses followed them through the Market and Temple districts and up the hill to the palace gates. As the gates loomed open before them the guards came into view. They urged for Arie to stop or halt in the name of the king. What utter nonsense both rider and horse thought as they bolted past the guard.

SandStorm whinnied a warning to his rider. Someone Gifted was going to try and stop them. Arie summoned her Gift again and aimed it behind her in a wide sweeping arch. The spell that the person behind her was about to cast fizzled out and the crossbows the soldiers carried broke apart and rusted away. It took them all a moment to realize what had just happened, but all too soon they gave chase.

Arie focused on the palace doors, collecting Gift around her and SandStorm. Her vision started to darken like ink spilled across a fresh page. SandStorm bolted up the palace steps, which were mercifully large so he didn't trip. They made it to the door before Arie went limp in the saddle. The stallion turned and kicked the giant oak door, thrusting them open, and rushing inside. A footman was startled awake and scrambled out of the room. Then Arie slid to the marble floor in a dead faint. SandStorm pranced back so he wouldn't trample his human friend. But the horse reared and whinnied as loud as he could. Slamming his hooves down on the marble flooring. The booming and neighing soon brought other servants who had either woken up or stopped their work to see what all the ruckus was about. A brave hostler reached for SandStorm's reigns but the horse tossed his head and thrashed his hooves at the man.

The guards finally managed to get up the hill. They saw the crazed horse thrashing and rearing and the limp cloaked figure just laying there under the horse. A few tried desperately to pull the cloaked person away from the flailing hooves. SandStorm bit and stomped close to anyone who tried to touch Arie. They were forced to back away. A hostler pulled a maid aside,

"Get the wild mage."

The maid nodded and scurried off. SandStorm stood protectively over Arie all too aware that their enemies could have beaten them here. A stable boy came through the broken door and passed a long pipe to one of the old hostlers. A small thing also changed hands between the humans, something that smelt funny to SandStorm. He loaded it into the long pole and aimed it at SandStorm's rump. A dart flew at SandStorm but was consumed by the blue green fire of Arie's Gift. The horse turned on the man and snapped his teeth on the pole, it snapped under the force of the bite and knocked the man backwards on his butt. He landed with a painful smack to the tailbone.

The maid lead Daine to the entrance hall of the palace where all the commotion seemed to be coming from. Daine leaned over the railing to see the scene below. A beautiful sand colored stallion with white mane and tail. He was making a whole lot of noise, something about staying away from his friend. That was when Daine noticed the cloaked figure laying almost under the horse. It was a miracle they seemed unhurt by the horse, but there was blood on the saddle and on the cloak. The horse was well trained if it was keeping everyone back. But then what was the point? The horse sniffed and looked up at Daine. In that moment she knew this animal was as intelligent as her own horse, Cloud. Quickly she made her way down and held up her hands so the horse could see them.

"Peace," she told the servants and guards. "I will handle this. Go back to your business."

The guards exchanged worried looks but reluctantly they went. The palace servants melted away through different doors and the hostlers left grudgingly, except the older one who had been knocked on his butt.

"You alright?"

"Been watching horses all my life but this one is like yours."

Daine nodded

"Serves me right for getting careless."

Daine laughed lightly then addressed the stallion.

"What brings you and your rider here?" She gestured to the hall around them. The stallion stomped a huff and eyed the man so she reassured him, "He will not hurt you."

 _We wish to see your herd master, no king. I shall not be silent until he is brought out to see Arie._

"Arie? Is that your rider?"

The horse pawed the now chipped and cracked marble flooring.

 _Yes._ His voice seemed to grow more desperate. _Now call your king! I shall not be silenced until he is brought out._ As if to demonstrate the point he reared and waved his hooves dangerously close to Daine's face and whinnied as loud as he could.

"I will, but it won't help if Arie dies before he reaches us, may I heal her?" At her words the horse subsided and allowed the mage to approach. Daine winced at the sight of the arrow. Carefully she removed the cloak to see the strange woman underneath. She had long black hair that was tipped in the same blue green color as her Gift. Her skin was incredibly tan from working out in the sun. Small knives were strapped to the inside of her wrists. A spell on them would allow her to slide the knives out to stab or slash at someone or would release the knives entirely and with deadly accuracy. Other knives were secured to her waist, beside her breasts, on her thighs, and one even stuck out from her boot. Daine suspected more weapons were hidden under her clothes and in her saddle bag.

Daine swiftly removed the arrow from reluctant flesh. A gasp of pain came from Arie's lips. Then Daine quickly laid a healing spell. She almost jumped back when the strange girl's hand snaked out and grabbed her wrist. Daine looked into the girl's blue grey eyes as she whispered,

"Cousin."

Daine was so startled she mumbled back,

"You are mistaken, I have no cousins." Daine was surprised when the girl gave a weak laugh in response to her comment.

"Are you certain," she asked. Daine looked into the young woman's eyes. They were mirror of her own, but she was positive her father had not had any other children. But then the girl addressed her as cousin not sister.

"Who-?"

Arie coughed and spat blood on the once pristine floor.

"No time. Summon your king, I have urgent news that I will take to only him."

Daine nodded and stood to go when a voice stopped her.

"Don't bother I'm already here." King Jonathon and Queen Thayet swept into the hall.


	2. Chapter 2

He was dressed in a light colored and very rumpled night shirt with baggy hose. His hair was pushed to one side and a crazy mess. The queen on the other hand was stunning. Her long hair framed her face and hardly looked like she had laid down. The long night gown she wore couldn't claim the same. It too was wrinkled like it had been left on the floor too long.

Jonathon took in the sight of the injured women and knelt beside her before Daine or the hostler could protest. He noted her hair with mild interest. That paled in comparison to her eyes, which as he looked from Daine to this young woman he realized their eyes were almost exactly alike. Though the stranger's eyes seemed to glow in the semi darkness unlike Daine's. The wounded messenger seemed to be sizing him up as well. Since he had never seen her, he was sure she wasn't a courier and the way she studied him told him she wasn't certain of what the king looked like, so not one of George's either. Whatever the young woman was looking for she seemed to find because she stretched out her hand to him. The look in her eyes was warning, pleading, and a dare wrapped up in one. Before anyone could tell him not to; he clasped her hand.

Arie couldn't help but wonder if the king was fool or just mad, but it didn't matter, she needed him to listen. Her Gift gathered in their palms before throwing both of them into Arie's memories. At first it was confusing and disorienting, but then her mind settled. She showed him what she had found. A man was tearing into his fellow. They were both guards who had worked together for years. Friends. Now they clawed at each other's throats trying desperately to rend and tear. Pain flashed through her and the king as she pounced on the combatants dragging them apart and had gotten punched for it. Looking through her Gift she saw the black gunk. It hadn't been there a month earlier. The vision shifted showing water with black gunk. Only seen through Gift. It appeared later in blood she found dried on the road and again in a Gift that was distorted. Slowly she studied it and its effects. A disease and a poison that was starting to spread from the coast.

Arie's mind was briefly overwhelmed by a seething rage that was enough to choke the king. It was gone as soon as it came, and a silhouetted shape filled their combined vision.

A man, mage, and evil. She wanted to lunge from her position and rip him to pieces for what he had brought to her people. Their ghosts demanded his blood and they would have it once she knew all there was to know. She would not risk someone else having the knowledge and letting it lose on innocent people for their own benefits.

Arie heard someone address him as Apostate. She waited, wanting to know more. He mentioned a woman's name. Josiane. He said her name with reverence that made Arie shuddered. The king however stiffened. Then the man went on a rant, some revolving around revenge on the king, his champion in particular. Another part was about Roger, the king's cousin; that he would show him. Last part was about the Dominion Jewel and how it would work for him of none at all. Exhaustion and blood loss finally destroyed Arie's strength the connection between them snapped, but not before both people traded memories.

Arie saw the Black City. Its expansive black stone buildings that were unnaturally clean and perfect. The whole place gave her the creeps like no other place she had ever visited before had. She watched the defeat of the Ysandir. The death of Roger at the hands of his friend Alanna started after the death of the god like creatures of the black city. Graves rose up next. The former king and queen. Greif was sharp and bitter for that memory. Next was a wedding. The king's. She could feel his pride his joy at the sight of his wife. She was breath taking as no mortal had a right to be. All of his friends were their cheering their joy with him. Then she witnessed the birth of each of his children, and felt his pride then too. It was only when she saw the decision he made about the now knight Keladry; also known as the Protector of the Small, that she was angry and stopped the flow of memories. She would rant about his choice to make her go through probation another time.

The king witnessed some of Arie's memories. He saw a woman who was the spitting image of Arie. She walked through a rundown village and addressed everyone she knew by name. He watched as she worked to heal. He felt Arie's pride in her mother's work, and her mother taught her to do the same. He saw the lessons her mother taught her; things no common born woman would know. Then the memories jumped ahead, and he could feel Arie's anger and fear. She was leaving a large estate that king recognized. It belonged to the family who held the fief just below Pirate Swoop. Arie was ranting about how they wouldn't lift a hand for their people why was she surprised that they wouldn't help their daughter. He didn't know who they were but he swore he would find out. The scene changed again, Arie's grief was a sucker punch to his gut. Her mother lay next the grave she had just finished digging. People were gathered around weeping. Two men hoisted the body gently into the grave and buried it once Arie was out of the way. Time passed and everyone went away. Only SandStorm was there. Suddenly a black cloaked figure was beside her. The king recognized the Dark God. Arie sniffed and rubbed her eyes staring at the grave.

"She loved you." She told the god, who made no response other than to put a hand on her shoulder. "Just take care of her please?" Tears choked her and the hooded god nodded, then he was gone.

The memories snapped away and the king staggered back. He would have fallen on his butt if Thayet hadn't been there to catch him. Arie, it seemed, was asleep. Her body curled up around one of SandStorm's legs. To Daine he said,

"Put them up in a room, they need to be guarded and healed. When she wakes tell me and send word to Raoul, Myles, Alanna, George, and Sir Wyldon. We are going to want our best home for what is coming."

Daine nodded and went to work gathering Arie up. SandStorm followed her through the palace. The king looked to his queen and said,

"If it's not one thing it's another."

The queen smiled a ghost smile and nodded in agreement.


	3. Chapter 3

Arie awoke to a soft muzzle rubbing her face. She opened her eyes to see the horse's head sticking in a window. Late afternoon sun shone behind the horse making him look like he had a halo. Smiling, Arie reached up and patted her friend's neck,

 _It was time you woke up little one._

Arie giggled

"I didn't think they would let a horse in the palace."

"They don't." The voice was male and certainly not SandStorm. Arie sat up already reaching for one of her knives, only to find it wasn't there. She was also surprised to find she was missing her shirt and cloak. Only her breast binding covered her as the blankets fell back. The man's eyes glittered in amusement as he turned away. Arie got the feeling he was laughing at her reaction not her lack of clothes. She snatched the blankets back and wrapped them around her body. Fear nearly choked her until the man handed a clean tunic back to her without looking. She flushed red swiping it from him and her fear was gone, replaced with her instincts to survive.

"Who are you, where am I, and where are my weapons," she growled pulling the tunic over herself faster than she should have. Her back protested, but not as loudly as it should have.

"This is one of my work rooms. Your horse caused such a ruckus, he probably woke all of Tortall." He turned around and eyed the horse. "I missed some beauty sleep myself." He then pointed to the dark circles under his eyes. "This was the only place we could work on you and have him keep an eye on you." The strange man chuckled, "Timmons had cow when he saw us leading a horse through the palace."

Arie glanced at SandStorm

 _He was a strong mage and his mate is like you. Of The People_.

Arie snorted, she had met many people who were of 'The People'. Most didn't have a clue, but not the woman she had met last night. Her cousin, well cousin was a bit of a stretch. She could feel the other girl had been a god's child, but not a major one. Arie shuddered thinking of her own father. She turned her attention back to the man. He was tall, and reminded her of a stork, though he moved with more grace. He had coal black hair that was tied back to keep it out his face. His muscles weren't anything to sneeze at either; not bulky, more wiry like a big cat.

"Where are my weapons," she asked again. Her eyes never left his. He held her eyes for a minute then let his eyes slide to the ground. A deliberate gesture of submission that most humans wouldn't have even considered. It put her at ease. He got up slowly so as not to startle her and went to a large bag behind him. Opening it, he showed all her weapons were neatly stored then he set the bag back where it had been; out of her reach. Before she could ask why they were there he answered her question.

"Your fever got out of hand. I think you felt threatened and you drew a weapon on one of the healers that was changing your bandages. For their safety and yours, we removed them with your friends permission." he nodded at SandStorm. Arie was horrified. Attacking out of defense was one thing, but she wasn't a wild animal to attack a healer.

"Are they alright? I didn't-?"

The mage chuckled,

"He's fine. A small scratch that has already healed and a wounded pride that will teach him respect when faced with a woman who is injured."

Arie sighed and slumped back into the cot. Her relief was tangible. SandStorm blew in her face.

 _Maybe you'll learn to be more cautious from this experience._

Arie turned to her horse and scrunched her nose at him.

 _You're mean._

 _And you are alive because I have horse sense to be mean._ He lipped her ear. _Next time don't worry me._

Arie hugged her horse around the neck and whispered,

"I'm sorry," she apologized. SandStorm allowed her to hug him for a little bit before he pulled away and blew in her face. It was then that she realized the man wasn't staring at her like most people did when she talked to SandStorm. "You don't find this strange?"

His smile was reassuring.

"The number of times I see my wife converse with her horse, Cloud, it certainly doesn't surprise me at all. I was however surprised to see someone with as much Wild Magic as she has. Dare I ask if you know which parent it is a result from?" The man blushed and held up a hand to stop her from replying."Wait, that was rude. Let me start over again." he took a deep breath and started again. "My name is Numair Salmalin, I am a mage who was born and studied in Carthak, my wife is Daine Sarrasri, a wild mage like you."

Arie blinked. What a strange place, she thought.

"I know who both my parents are, but I will not name my father. My mother was Anna, a healer for anyone who needed. My friend," she reached up and patted SandStorm's neck, "is SandStorm a swift runner and not fooled by any. I am Arie Annasri, also healer and -." her eyes widened when she realized what she was about to say and snapped her mouth shut. It was one thing to admit your father was a god, it was another to tell them about what magic she specialized in. Numair caught it, but he let it go.

"That bad," he asked with sympathy.

She blinked, he actually understood. He knew she was hunted for what she was. If her guess was right, his wife would have experienced much the same thing. Before Arie could answer there was a gentle knock on the door.

"Come in," Numair invited to the person.

The door creaked open and a woman stood there. She was short, dressed in a loose shirt, breeches, and she had shoes that were soft leather. Her hair was short cropped cropper colored with a few strands of gray mixed in. The woman's eyes blazed a brilliant purple as she took in Arie. Like Numair, she had muscles cording through her limbs, but unlike him, her hands were severely callused. Everything about this woman spoke of a warrior, and one who spent most of their life being a warrior. She smiled at Arie and she couldn't help but return it.

"Daine said you were awake, I hope it is not too much to ask, but we have a meeting assembled and Joh-, I mean his majesty would like you to share what you showed him."

Numair looked like he was going to say something and the woman held up her hand to stop him.

"Not in the same way. We understand you are not strong enough for that, and I don't think most of the people would be willing to share that kind of experience with someone they don't know."

Numair looked like he was going to refuse for her.

"I will go." Arie interrupted before Numair could speak for her. The smaller woman appraised her and whatever she found she liked because she smiled again.


	4. Chapter 4

Slowly Arie extracted herself from the covers. Her back only ached, when she reached back to touch it she found the skin was mostly healed, but the scab was tight and achy. The woman noted her action and asked,

"How did I do? Does it hurt?"

"No, I'm fine." It wasn't a lie, she would be fine and it didn't bother her too much. However drawing a bow would be difficult for a few days.

 _Don't lie to this one, she sees more than most. Will you be alright with all the two-leggers by yourself?_ He nuzzled her shoulder and urged her forward.

 _It's not me that needs to worry._

 _You can trust this two-legger. All the animals speak well of her and a few others._

 _I know, this is Alanna of Trebond, Olua, and Pirate Swoop. She is the king's champion and the one would claimed the Dominion Jewel for Tortall. She is also the one who killed Josiane._

 _Which means she will be in the most danger._

 _Is there any extra protection 'The People' could give?_

 _We will watch over her._

Arie smiled satisfied. Most animals listened to SandStorm. If he said other animals would help watch over the lady knight she would sleep much better. Then she noticed as with Numair that Alanna was also at ease with her speaking to her horse. Maybe the capital isn't as bad as mother said it was.

"I don't suppose SandStorm will be able to attend the meeting too?"

The young woman shook her head no, though amusement played in her expression.

"It might be worth seeing the Lord Chamberlain's face when he sees a horse in a meeting room, John wouldn't mind, and Myles; my father, would love it. He let my cat sit in for history lessons. He said cats have as much right to learn as anyone else. But I'm afraid there isn't enough room and he might trip on some of the steps."

SandStorm tossed his head offended that she thought he would trip. Arie was still stuck on the idea of a cat sitting in a history class learning. Now I think I've heard it all, she thought to herself. Alanna looked between Arie and SandStorm then shrugged.

"I'll show you the way." Alanna turned and stepped out the door. Arie said good bye to Numair and suggested to SandStorm that he get acquainted with the palace animals and find out if there was anything strange going on. He tossed his head and went off to do just that. Once he was gone she followed Alanna; Arie felt nervous. Very rarely were her and SandStorm separated. And now she couldn't help but feel like she was walking to her execution. Maybe she was, that thought didn't sit well with her. As she looked at Sir Alanna's back she discarded that thought. This was the knight that was renowned for her deeds and her healing. The female knight was not the type to sit back and watch as someone was killed without just cause. That she could feel.

The lady knight led her through the dizzying maze of hallways and passageways. Then they went up a large flight of steps and down a long hallway. Several times they passed interesting looking doors. One door was open and Arie caught a glimpse of rows upon rows of books, and a familiar face. But they were gone before she could identify it. Another turn and Arie bumped into the Lady Knight's back. She was about to apologize when she noticed that they stood in front of a room filled with what looked to be nobles. Her mouth set in a hard line as her expression went blank. Eyes were on her as she entered; her clothes were simple and without any embellishes. She was hardened in a way not even the knights here could claim regardless of her short life. It was that thought that gave her courage to bow to a room full of people who she considered her potential enemies.

Lady Alanna had taken a seat on the left of the king. On the king's right was his wife, and his son; Arie struggled to member his name. Roald; she suddenly remembered, was named for his grandfather. Next to him was a giant of a man who could only be Raoul of Goldenlake, leader of the King's Own. Next to him was a man who was looking over documents that were information about various allies, and one about how regions up north were doing. This man was almost as tall as Raoul. Garth the younger of Naxen, she remembered. Next was an older man with rumpled dress and a round face. His name she couldn't place, but from the look of him, he drank a little on the heavy side. Beside him as another young man who looked at Arie as if she were pond scum. He was young and dressed in a knights uniform even if he had left the actual armor behind. She would have to get past this one if she needed to make a quick escape out the window behind him. Beside the younger knight was an older man, one she recognized as Sir Wyldon of Cavall. Her mother had said he had been a very conservative man, but she had respected him and even had liked him all the same.

They king gestured to a chair and said,

"Please sit."

"No thanks," Arie slurred in her best common born accent. Some of the nobles shifted in their seats and glared at her. Not that she gave a damn what these stuck up nobles thought. The first sign of trouble and she was vaulting through that window and working in the shadows.

"We need more information about the news you have brought to us. I'll admit if I hadn't seen it in your memories it would be very hard to swallow."

Arie noticed the young knight snorted. Well at least she knew who didn't believe her. Not that she could really blame them; a disease created from magic that increased the evil that naturally existed in all hearts was frightening.

"Is there a way to detect it?"

Arie scrubbed a hand across her eyes and wished she could forget the nightmares she had seen. But even as that thought crossed her mind she knew it was a vain hope that could never be.

"You can detect it, but it is best to do so early. Too late and the damage seems to be permanent. If you know the person really well you might be able to see the gradual changes in behavior, but most people wouldn't see the differences until the behavior became very bad or far from the usual. Those with the Gift are a bit harder to spot. Their Gift will mask the problem for a time, but eventually their Gift becomes befuddled, muddy, or even tainted in appearance."

The queen laid her hand over the king's clearly she was thinking of him and their children who inherited the Gift. The prince looked at his mother then back to Arie.

"Is there any way to prevent it? Can people be cured once they have it?"

Arie mulled over his questions. The second was easy to answer, she knew because she had managed it. Thinking over the victims and various stages she had seen she nodded carefully.

"Your strength determines how quickly the symptoms manifest if they do at all."

The young knight who didn't like or trust her snorted,

"Then we have nothing to fear, most of our knights have strength."

Arie smiled icily at the young knight. She noted he seemed to aim his comment at the Lioness, who was currently clenching her teeth while her nails bit into the wood of the table. Arie chuckled darkly to draw his attention back to her.

"Unfortunately however, I do not mean the strength in your arms." She managed not to add moron. "I mean strength of character. A person who seeks to harm others for pleasure, a man who forces himself on a woman for his own pleasure. Someone who seeks to humiliate a rival merely for the sport of seeing him fall. Gossiping, lying, pride, gluttony, wrath, greed, lust, murder, and rape. How many of your knights can claim perfection? Then once it is done eating away at you it leaves nothing but an empty shell of a puppet."

The round man rubbed his thinning beard thoughtfully.

"Very dangerous, and quite ingénues."

"Myles?" The king addressed the older man.

"If I understand the young lady correctly, this magic works subtly at first, using the faults a person has naturally and works at rotting away the good from there. If I miss my guess that once the victim has had enough good eroded away their will is no longer their own. Just imagine what a hand full of palace servants and knights placed in the right spots could do? They could infect everyone on your council and even you."

Arie was impressed. She had written the man off as a drunk. Now looking into his eyes she saw a keenness that made her wary. Her secret would not be safe around this one.

"Correct sir."

Myles smiled at her. She was a little taken aback by the honesty of the smile.

"I've studied a variety of subjects over the years, my lady."

Regardless of how wary she was of him, she couldn't help but like this man. He was good. Someone banged a fist on the table. The younger knight. If she missed her guess it was meant to scare her and make her cower before him. Something Arie would never do even had he actually pointed a weapon at her.

"How do we even know what this commoner says is true? She could just be trying to gain favor with the crown."

Arie bristled at the mere thought. She fought the urge to bare her teeth at the man and growl. However she couldn't control her tongue.

"What on earth could I possibly want from a group of rich boys who wouldn't know a hard day's work if it bit you in on the ass?"

Everyone stared at her completely shocked by her rudeness. Some even had open mouths. And if she hadn't had known better, she'd have said the wall behind the king just giggled. But she plowed on.

"I came here because if the Jewel is corrupted the first thing that will happen is that innocent people who had nothing to do with you or any of this craziness will be hurt. However, I can't fix stupid and if all their leaders are stupid then I can't help them. Hope you like poverty, famine, and death; because that is all that awaits if this loon gets his way." In her anger her common born accent slipped. She prayed none of them noticed. The young knight stood and his hand snaked out to strike her. Arie's hand dropped to a knife that wasn't there. Damn it, she swore to herself as she prepared for the blow.

"Sir Jorrey, you forget our codes." It was Wyldon who stood gripping the younger man's arm. "We do not strike women, even if they are being disrespectful."

Arie glanced at the other faces in the room and was surprised to see everyone was angry, but not just with her. With Jorrey as well. The Lioness sat back down along with Raoul. Arie hadn't even seen them rise.

"Please sit," the king said to everyone. The other two knights returned to their seats and Arie also sat in a chair. When the king turned to look at her there was a fierce expression on his face that reminded her that this man was king and an extremely powerful mage. She took a deep breath and swallowed hard.

"I'm sorry, that was rude. Mother always said I need to learn to hold my tongue. If you don't believe me, I will leave. No point trying to force you to believe. Either you will or you won't."

"Couldn't you show everyone, like you did for me?"

Arie looked up at the king. He was serious? She thought about it and figured she probably could do it. It would be difficult and taxing, but at this point her people needed help these people could provide. A little exhaustion was a small price to pay if it got these nobles to help.

"It could be a trap." the younger knight said and added, "Chit," under his breath.

She saw Sir Wyldon glare at him and the younger knight shifted uncomfortably.

"If it was a trap, wouldn't I have sprung it when I first came here. It was the king, queen and one other mage. But once his majesty put his hand in mine and connected our magic I could have blown us both to bits without too much trouble." She looked to the king and added. "No offense your majesty, but that wasn't very smart on your part. Don't mistake me, I'm grateful for what you did, but still. You and the queen are too important to risk willy nilly."

The king smiled at that and so did the queen. That clenched the decision for her,

"I will do it."


	5. Chapter 5

"Will you need assistance?"

It was on the tip of her tongue to say no, but she was tired. Her wounds may have been healed, but she was not back to full working order. And if their enemies were around she would have to cautious. Her gaze briefly rested on the young knight. She would watch her back where that one was concerned.

"Yes, I'm still weak from the arrow." And as a second thought she added, "Get his Grace, Duke Baird as well. It will be nice to have a second healer in case something happens to me."

A young squire was summoned into the room and told to fetch Numair and Duke Baird. The lad nodded wide eyed as he tried not to stare at Arie's strange hair. She stiffened when she saw the boy make the sign against evil. It stung, but at the same time it was amusing. Making signs didn't prevent evil from getting you. He turned to leave and tripped. Glancing at Arie accusingly. She was about to snap that she had nothing to do with it when one the people behind her urged,

"Get moving lad," snapped Lord Wyldon causing the boy to scramble away with less dignity.

Arie couldn't help a sigh of relief. She now stood silently as all the important people of Tortall stared at her. Judging. Weighing her worth. Thankfully it wasn't long before the squire returned with Numair was dressed in nice robes and Duke Baird dressed in plain clothes with a clean smock over it. Maybe he had been about to go to the clinic. Arie bowed to the two men and greeted them properly. She explained quietly to Numair her plan. He listened and occasionally asked questions, which she answered as best as she could. She noted however he didn't like the idea of her performing magic while she was still weak. Everyone else listened, whether anyone noticed Numair was upset by the idea Arie couldn't say.

"My magic will reach out to you. All you have to do is flow your Gift into your hand and grab a strand of magic. Those who are Giftless a drop of blood will do. Prick your finger or your palm. That way of have your essence and I can flow the memories to you through that."

Raoul, Garth the younger, Wyldon, and Myles drew daggers. The queen drew a sharp hair pin from her thick locks. Sir Wyldon shook his head sharply.

"Your majesty we cannot risk you or the heir," he said to the Queen. She looked angry and about to argue, but the king put his hand on her. Roald however was not satisfied with this.

"As the heir I have a right to know what my people face."

"As the heir, it is your duty to remain alive and s-."

Before the argument could reach shouting proportions Arie interjected. "It is not my place to speak, however."

The knight Jorrey looked like he was going to strangle her.

"Are the rumors about Numair and the King's power just that? Or aren't they some of the most powerful people in the land?" Arie saw the approving looks that Garth and Alanna gave her. It gave her courage. "The Queen and the Prince could wait and have Numair or the king show them what I have showed them. It shouldn't be hard for them to pick it up. Then the royal line is not endangered, but everyone knows what I know. Would that satisfy everyone's pride and duty?"

Sir Wyldon rubbed his chin thoughtfully and nodded. The prince receded back into his chair and said,

"That is acceptable."

Arie smiled and to herself thought, men! She caught a look of amusement on Sir Alanna's face and Arie couldn't help but wonder if the woman's thoughts weren't that far from her own. Arie nodded to Numair. The taller man laid a hand on her shoulder and his black and silver gift flowed into her. It was like a sludge hammer to her tired system. She suddenly felt like a ripe fruit that was about to burst.

There was a gasp as Arie's Gift drifted out of her body. It formed several blue green arms that sprouted out below her actual arms. It was weird seeing six extra arms that flexed and moved independently. One arm reached for Duke Baird who took it without hesitation. Raoul stared at the arm that reached out to him for a moment. Very curious. Garth the younger fumbled with his dagger making the cut bigger than need be. When Arie's third hand took his wounded one the cut sizzled and sealed; instantly healed. It wasn't wise, but Arie couldn't help the instinct to help. Sir Wyldon reached out a grabbed her fifth hand, wary but confident. The fourth hand reached out to Myles who chuckled and clasped the hand as if it were the hand of a close friend. Her last magic hand reached for the king. He took it with a wary smile. Remembering her earlier comment. Alanna's purple gift flowed over the table and wrapped around Arie's left hand. Arie reached out to Jorrey. The young knight simply crossed his arms. His right hand dropping down to his sword.

"Be careful knight. If you strike at me while I am connected to so many people it is possible everyone will die." She smirked. "Or, more likely, the force of your sword clashing against so much magic and so many strong lives will result in you flying out that window and possibly destroying your sword. Shame to waste a Raven's Armory sword."

The knight grit his teeth but Arie was already lost in the sudden flood of voices. Everyone else's thoughts were like voices in her head and they were starting to tangle in her mind.

 _Silence._ Everyone's mind was stilled. She saw each person for who they were. Who they were meant to be. Warriors, all of them, though some fought differently than others. And one that shined above all. King. Arie forced herself to ignore the eyes of everyone on her and went to work. She built clear walls between everyone and herself. This way their thoughts, memories, and secrets would remain theirs alone. This would also prevent her memories from spilling over like they did when she first merged with the king. The walls built, now she focused on the memories she wanted them to see.

It flowered above her. The image of a man being dragged away by guards. Arie was too far to hear what was being said. It had been a chance glance that she had recognized his face. A neighbor. Mand was his name. He was a day laborer, paid to work fields. She had healed his broken ankle not long before this memory. Not someone prone to violence, but he did drink himself silly often enough. If she remembered correctly that was how he had broken his ankle. Arie was moving before she even realized what she was doing. Already reaching into her bag for medicine that would ease Mand's hangover. She got a few feet from him and Mand's head shot up and he snarled and screamed. He fought like a monster against his guards. Blood shot eyes swung around and found her then he shrieked,

"She's dead! She died because of you ! WITCH! YO-" The rest of his words were cut off by one of the guard's striking Mand on the temple with the butt of his dagger. Arie tripped and just sat where she landed, just staring at Mand. She was shocked to see the usually quiet man acting this way.

"Sorry miss. You shouldn't come near. We think he the ale sickness. He vomited earlier."

"Maybe I-." Arie realized her hands were shaking. She had been so startled that for a moment she had flashed back to being hunted. The guards looked on her with pity, they thought her some frightened little rabbit.

"He is probably just had a little too much to drink. Let him sober up in one of the cells and you can come by in the evening to check on him." The second guard was staring at her in a way that made her skin crawl. Maybe that was the reason she had let them go without giving Mand the medicine. She didn't even check to see if something else could be wrong. She left. News came the next morning that Mand had attacked the guards nearly killing them. Mand had been killed later in a struggle with a knight.

The image shifted becoming a dusty road leading to one of the small villages Arie traveled to. Sea King port was a tiny fishing village that was walled in. Arie approached the gate already excited to see the two men who man the gate. People always thought they were brothers by how similar they looked; they weren't. They were always challenging each other in races and wrestling, and the occasional mock battle. It always seemed harmless. Afterwards they were always laughing and smiling and they'd buy each other drinks. This time when she came upon the gate it was open and the two men were brawling.

At first she rolled her eyes and was about to yell at them for being childish. Then she saw the blood on their clothes, the torn clothing, already massive bruises had formed on exposed skin. Then she saw their faces. They weren't smiling. Both men were in murderous rage. Without thinking Arie dropped her bag. Her Gift welling up in her as she stepped between the two men. Still neither of them seemed to see her. Her foot lashed up knocking Ren's punch wide and sending him stumbling off to the right. Meich's first swing was blocked, but his second punch clipped her upside the head. She saw stars and pain reverberated through the memory. Thankfully the walls would keep the pain to herself. She blasted Meich full on in the face with her Gift sending him to sleep. Ren was back on his feet and advancing on her. She moved quickly this time, keeping the bigger man distracted from Meich and maneuvering around to behind him. Once she got an arm around his neck it took seconds for the lack of blood flow to the brain to drop him as well. She used her Gift to insure he would sleep. Then she began to examine them.

Looking through her Gift she saw thick black gunk inside them. It seemed to flow through their bodies without causing harm, but Arie knew better. Several other guards were approaching. Arie enlisted their help getting the two men some place she could treat them. She warned the guards to stay away from the blood as they carried the two men to the resident healer.

The hedge witch that lived in the town opened up her home. Together her and Arie went about pulling the black stuff out of Meich and Ren. But from the moment they started the men would wake up and scream in pain. As she drew the poison out from their bodies she caught glimpses of the men themselves. Ren was proud and he didn't want anything to tarnish his family; not even Meich. However, Meich was more charming and liked better by the people. Meich however was jealous of Ren's family's wealth and the ease in which he did everything. Slowly Arie begun to realize she was drawing out the men's flaws and both of them were fighting her. Like a child who knew stealing a sweet before dinner was wrong and fought his parents spanking them. But this was worse. So much worse. Hours went by and both women's Gifts were used up. The two men now slept peacefully with the blackness was gone from their bodies.

Arie went to the tavern later that night and ordered a drink. Water. Ale was too dangerous for her to have. She was about to sip the water when she felt violently ill. Looking down the water looked clean, fresh and cool. She touched it with her Gift and saw blackness in the cup. The same thing that had poisoned Ren and Meich. She jumped up from her chair and accidentally knocked her pitcher over. The innkeepers daughter came over and fussed, Arie apologized to the innkeeper and left quickly. She made her way out to the well. Inside she found more of the poison. Quickly she went to the hedge witch again and showed her what she saw in the well. Together the two women went to the mayor. He would not listen. They warned anyone who would listen and eventually Arie was cast out of the town. She swore.

Months went by and Arie worked tirelessly trying to stop the spread. Working by night. Soon the town was infested with victims. Arie watched and helped where she could. Ren, Meich, the hedge witch Zee and a few others listened to her. Helped where they could. All the while the town decayed into a sewer of mankind and the graveyard doubled in size. The band was finally forced to leave.

The memory shifted to days after they had been forced to leave. Arie was collecting medicinal plants in the forest to sneak back into Sea King when she wondered if the Woodsman would be willing to trade some of his stock for food. Arie realized she hadn't spoken to the little family in months. Worried gnawed deep in her mind and without thinking Arie turned into the forest and ran down the deer trails. The closer she got to her destination the stronger the feeling of wrongness got. Her pace quickened as she tore through the forest and almost stumbled into the clearing. The feel of death clubbed her the moment she stepped close to the small cabin.

Cautiously Arie moved around to the door of the tiny wooden house. The door was left open like some had just left. Stealing herself, Arie stepped into the main room. Her stomach rolled and churned at the sight and smell.

Flies buzzed insistently over the bloated corpses. The smell of putrefaction was enough to make Arie gag horribly. Instinctively she turned to step back and flee, but something in her balked at leaving them like this. Besides she needed to know what happened to them. Arie forced herself to turn back and breath through her mouth as she moved to inspect the four bodies.

First she went to the dog. The black and white fluffy creature was the closest to the door and from the looks of her, she had been the first to die. Arie bent over the body and looked at the knife wounds on her side, stomach, and muzzle. Most of the blood was dried and matted in the poor dog's fur. A look at her teeth showed that she had gotten a good bite or two of their attacker. Arie glanced at the other three bodies huddled together. The dog had died to protect her family.

"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner," she choked as she ran her finger gently over the dog's ears.

Next Arie moved to the other three bodies. The woodsman's wife and two kids; Arie couldn't remember their names, were huddled in the corner. A small hole had been started in the wall they leaned up against, but it was still too small even for the youngest to squeeze through. Arie noticed the bruising around the wife's neck like a thick rope of black and blue. Older bruising dotted her arms and face. There was skin under her nails where she had fought back against her attacker to give her children time to escape. Moving on Arie looked over the children. The elder of the two still gripped a small knife in his hand. Probably what they had been using too chip a hole in the wall. There was blood on the knife , but not as much had been on his shirt and his little sisters. Arie counted dozens of knife marks on their tiny bodies.

Whoever had done this had been angry. Crazy angry. Arie just there in the carnage and shook. She wasn't sure if she had been so absolutely furious ever before in her life. These people hadn't deserved to die, they certainly didn't deserve to die this way. She was so distracted by her angry that she missed the telltale signs of someone's approach.

Arie turned to find the woodsman in the door way. She was about to start to explain her presence when she saw his eye. There was absolutely nothing left of the quiet man she had briefly known. In his eyes was only emptiness and something sinister. Something that made Arie's skin crawl.

He drew his knife with deliberate slowness. A leer forming on his lips as the blade pulled free from its leather sheath. Arie didn't wait for the attack she simply released the knives hidden at her wrist. Five small blades found their marks in the arm that held the knife and both his legs. The woodsman screamed and rage and tumbled to the ground. He struggled to get up but Arie didn't give him a chance to rise. She dove forward and tackled him. Her Gift wrapped around them and she peered into his body.

Blackness.

Arie gasped and nearly lost her concentration as she desperately searched his mind and memories for even a hint of the man who he had been. Nothing but blackness greeted her. Memories flashed by her. Arie witnessed some of the things he had done. Beating his family, torturing a traveler, then Arie stumbled across the murder of his family. She swallowed back the bile that rose when she realized he had done it. He killed his family. On and on she searched his mind until she found a small scrap of a memory. The first before the decent into this madness. He had bought a spiced wine from a merchant ship to share with his best friend. Arie latched onto the memory and tried dragging out the poison.

It was starting to work, she could feel it. He was responding to her, then they came to the murder of his family. Arie felt the moment his soul just shattered like glass smashed against a rock. Her magic lost its grip as the man died. His soul drifted out and his ghost simply turned and ran from the place before she could even think to try to stop him. Arie sobbed helplessly over the bodies. She hadn't been able to save even one of them.

After Arie regained herself she set to work preparing graves for the family. Her anger was renewed as she worked. This family had died but not before they had given her a clue of where to look for the source of this curse. A merchant ship.

Time moved forward again and Arie took a deep breath trying desperately to settle the rage that was starting to distort the thoughts and memories, making them less coherent.

She found the merchant ship. The band had moved onto a safe place out of harm's way. She boarded the ship while SandStorm waited quietly, if not patiently. From her hiding spot she listened to the captain whine about carrying dangerous cargo. He didn't seem to care about his men, just himself. Another voice spoke, assuring him that as long as no one drank it nor touched anyone infected with open wounds they would be fine. The captain whimpered like a dog and asked if they were done. Arie scooted through the partially open door to watch. The other voice shrieked no.

Arie saw a silhouetted shape.

A man, mage, and evil. She wanted to lunge from her position and rip him to pieces for what he had brought to her people. Their ghosts demanded his blood and they would have it once she knew all there was to know. She would not risk someone else having the knowledge and letting it lose on innocent people for their own benefits.

Arie heard someone address him as Apostate. She waited, wanting to know more. He mentioned a woman's name. Josiane. He said her name with reverence that made Arie shuddered. The king however stiffened. Then the man went on a rant, some revolving around revenge on the king, his champion in particular. Another part was about Roger, the king's cousin; that he would show him. Last part was about the Dominion Jewel and how it would work for him of none at all. In her anger she rushed out and lunged for the man passing right through him. She had enough time to swear before the captain was charging at her with a knife. Rolling to safety she got up and bolted. She didn't bother to move silently with the captain was screaming behind her. Leaping off the boat and onto the dock jarred her knees badly, but she kept going. The swoosh of arrows ripping past her spurred her on faster.

Pain exploded in her back as a arrow sent her staggering, still she kept moving. The only thing she could think is 'They have to know'. She repeated that over and over as she mounted SandStorm and urged the horse on to Corus. She let the memories fade and slowly this time she withdrew her Gift from the different people so as not to have a repeat of the last time she had tried this. When she opened her eyes everyone sat in stunned silence, many of them looked queasy


	6. Chapter 6

The king blinked and the queen put a questioning hand on him. He gave her the barest of nods. Whether to say he was alright or that things really were bad, Arie couldn't guess. Suddenly she was sitting in a chair. Numair plopped down next to her. His robes were soaked in sweat. Looking down at her own clothes she realized she was no better. It looked like she had gone swimming. She leaned back in her chair and just breathed. Never again was she doing that with so many people who didn't have Gifts.

A damp cloth startled her almost out of her chair. Numair had dropped it on her head and laid a hand on her shoulder to keep her sitting.

"Rest little one, you've done good work. And I have a feeling your work will not be done for a while."

Arie sighed and nodded. Closing her eyes she drifted off to sleep for a moment. Someone was using their Gift on her to help her sleep. Duke Baird. She recognized the feel of his Gift. Any other time she might have been furious, but now she was just too tired to care.

The king watched as Arie's eyes slid shut. Her clothes were soaked through with sweat. How much pain had she endured to bring this message to them, he wondered. The walls she had built around them to protect them had worked, but he still felt the ghost like pain. Like an echo of something experienced as a child. Now he was going to ask for her help again. He was going to ask her to not only help, but to help people she despised. She viewed nobles with contempt. Which left him in awe of her courage and nobility. This was the type of person he wanted to entrust his people with.

"Give Lady Arie a room. Make sure she is protected. No one is to enter her rooms while she sleeps."

Numair cleared his throat and the king looked to him and nodded for him to speak.

"I think it might be best to give her Daine's old room in the rider recruits' barracks."

The king opened his mouth to point out that it would be hard to protect Arie there when Numair added,

"Her horse was very vocal about her not being separated from him."

Jonathan closed his mouth with a smile.

"Very well." The king looked to his palace healer, "Can you replicate what she did for those people?"

Duke Baird rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Yes. I will begin training others as well. However your Majesty, it won't matter how many people I train, even if every Gifted person could do this. A lot of people will not survive. This poison feeds and grows on what is naturally in a person. Many will not let it go."

"What do you mean?" demanded Jorrey. "That-." he paused as he realized no one in the room would be siding with him where Arie was concerned. "Girl managed to heal others." The duke nodded.

"Part of the healing seems to be the victims have to own up to the fact that there is something wrong. No one likes to, no one wants to ever admit they are wrong." Duke Baird looked up at Sir Wyldon with a knowing smile. "Regardless of how honorable they are."

The knight ignored the barely veiled reference to the lady knight and his unwillingness to let her become a knight. Both knew it was not said to be rude but was said as complement and made to point out how doing the right thing can be difficult.

"Are you suggesting lessons in humility?"

The Duke chuckled at that.

"I doubt that would help. Inner demons are the hardest to fight."

"Is there anything else," the king asked and when no one else had anything to add. the King nodded. He looked pointedly at Myles as everyone else was dismissed. Once everyone had left except the king and Myles another man slipped in through a hidden door. He had a slightly crooked nose. Probably a result of being on the receiving end of a well placed punch. Even with the nose he was still handsome, especially with the boyish grin on his face.

"So glad to receive your letter." He bowed to the king but then clasped the king's hand like a friend would. The king smiled back and returned gesture.

"Alright George," the king addressed the crooked nosed man. "What do you think?"

"You know as well as any man that her Gift protects her from mine, and I didn't share her head." There was a glint of amusement in George's eyes.

"However," the king prompted.

George chuckled.

"No patience, just like my lass." Then the amusement was gone replaced with a cool expression of a master spy. "She is definitely rattled by what she saw. Very few can fake that. She spoke no lies that I could detect. But I'd bet Pirate Swoop that she's not been honest about who she is. It took me some time to learn how to properly address the different nobles. She knew. Mark my words on that. What common born woman could stand before all of you important folks and not be a little intimidated? Either she has seen things that make you all seem minor or she she's been in courts before. I'd put my money on her seeing things that would scare a full blooded knight. She didn't shy away from violence neither. Somethin else to consider, in her anger her accent slipped. You noticed."

Both the king and Myles nodded. Myles rubbing his chin as he added,

"She is very educated. Well beyond what the schools teach. She could read the documents on the table, including the coded maps."

George nodded,

"While you guys were taking a trip through her memories I noticed her arms and hands. She is scarred and has calluses. The kind that takes years to acquire by practice with a knife and bow. If she is a noble and I suspect she is; she may have never been acknowledged. You'd be better off looking at her ma'. I spoke with Numair and he says Arie gave the sire name Annasri. Which literally means daughter of Anna. The way she talked about her mother chances are that is she gave her ma's true name. "

Myles nodded approvingly at George.

"What do you recommend?" The king asked.

George seemed to turn that question over in his mind before giving his answer.

"I think you already trust her, but watch her too. And if she is a noble I'd be asking myself, why does she have an obvious bone to pick with nobles and knights. It maybe that she's a bastard, but she doesn't strike me as the type to want money or power just cause. If I was you, I'd look at her ma'."

The king tugged at his beard thoughtfully.

"We'll keep this quiet for now. All of it. We don't need people panicking and others to start accusing or worse using it to their advantage."

Myles agreed solemnly.

"Wise move. What about this mage, Apostate?"

"See if our spies can track him down first. If possible I'd like to end this before it can get out of hand."

"So there is a spell?" George asked. He had been hoping against hope that it wasn't true. But when both the king and Myles went pale and nodded silently he swore.

"And it is worse than anything Rodger conceived."

George spat on the ground at the mention of his wife's nemesis. She still had bad dreams about him. Myles looked very uncomfortable but didn't refute any of it.

"Someone that powerful has bound to have attracted attention to himself at some point. If so, we will find him." He just prayed it would be before something terrible happened. Suddenly George felt the need to introduce himself to the young lady who brought them this news. He never ignored when his Gift called to him; remembering when he first met Alanna. As he walked away he laughed to himself, he doubted this lady was boy in disguise though.


	7. Chapter 7

Arie woke in a cot. There were birds chirping by the open window and a familiar face hovering over her. SandStorm blew in her face.

 _I left you alone for a few moments._ Was the horse's stern remark.

Arie laughed breathlessly and reached up and patted her friends neck. His warmth and the soft feel of his hair was reassuring.

"Would you believe me if I said it wasn't my fault?"

 _No._

Arie sighed and sat up slowly. Her stomach growled loudly. When was the last time she ate, she wondered.

 _You were asleep for three days after arriving. You need to feed. You were too light when we were riding. Not that I mind you being lighter, but I don't want a wind to blow you away either. I put too much work in watching out for you to see it wasted._

Arie laughed weakly. She shifted so she could lean up against the wall under the window.

"Ello?" A face appeared in the door way surprising Arie so badly she jumped, smacking her head into the window sill. Pain like a knife slid through her skull bringing tears to her eyes. She swore long and loud. It would have made Twitchy her teacher in all things knives proud. As it was, the noble looking man in the door whistled approvingly. He moved swiftly and lithely to her side. Gently he pried her hands from her head. "Let me see."

Arie hissed at him and he chuckled.

"Haven't you learned your lesson yet? Relax, let Ol' George look you over sweetheart."

Arie grumbled but dropped her hands as George deftly checked her head. She hissed when he prodded the now bruising area.

"Good news, you've a hard head."

Arie glared daggers at the man and pulled away from him.

"I'm fine."

He chuckled. Now Arie studied the man that had surprised her. She wasn't sure if he was considered handsome. His nose was slightly crooked. Probably from a brawl. Odd if he was a noble. Taking in his clothes she saw they simple, no flourishes that most nobles liked. But they were of good material, no holes, and not even worn. But his eyes are what made her really noticed him. Memories clicked and she whispered,

"You!"

"Me?" he asked as if it was a joke. "Sorry, I'm tak-."

"You're the one who helped me free SandStorm." How had she not recognized him sooner? This man had allowed her to keep her now oldest friend without being hunted as a horse thief. The man looked down at her in confusion. Then slowly a dawning recognition rose in his eyes. He laughed and slapped his knee.

"Your hair was dyed back then wasn't it?"

Arie bobbed her head once. Her natural hair was too recognizable. For a while she had dyed it to fit in better. Too bad she couldn't hide her Gift as easily. Back then she had had only minimal fighting skills, but it had been enough. Her mother had gone off to buy herbs while her daughter milled around the markets. She had been attracted to a man with a herd of beautiful horses. Most of them were for his show. The leader had taken to training a mare. She was a beautiful roan. Her belly had been slightly swollen with a foal she had been about to have. Arie been shocked to see the big man bring a whip down on the horse's side. Too close to the child she was carrying. Raw fury had made her jump the fence and advance on the man. But another horse came shooting over the fence from the other direction. A much younger SandStorm was on the man in seconds. Hooves flailing dangerously in his face. The man turned his whip on the other horse beating back the animal with vicious strokes.

It was then that Arie realized that the whip had bits of metal on its leather tongues. Opening gashes along both horses. She still wasn't sure how she had crossed the space in just a few strides, but suddenly she was there. Her Gift glowing like an angry fire in her hands. She grabbed hold of the man's wrists and hung on for dear life. It had done her very little good. The man threw her aside. But the damage of her magic was done. When the man had drawn back to punch her, his arm was swiftly caught by a younger version of the man who now before her.

"Now this is no way to be treatin these fine ladies." He eyed SandStorm who pawed the earth threateningly. "And gentleman." When he had twisted the burly man's arm behind his back there had been a sickening snap as the bone broke. The younger man who had come to her rescue was surprised by it, but he hadn't release his hold even as the burly man howled in anguish. Then his keen eyes had looked over the mare. Arie had been sure she saw anger in the depths of those eyes. "How's about you go get your papers for your horses. A man who can't treat his animals properly doesn't deserve to have them."

She had just watched as the stranger dragged the burly man off to a magister. Later Arie found out that the man was stripped of his right to buy and sell horses. The man, a baron of a strange sounding place had bought all the horses including the brave stallion. She had spoken with the two horses and the one; SandStorm, decided to follow her. Arie had tried telling the horse that she couldn't afford to buy him, but the horse didn't care. She had returned the animal twice to its new owner, before the third time the horse came with a small pouch hung around its neck. Inside was a note.

Take him, he's your. Then she found the bill of sale made out to her. Or at least the description of her.

"I'd been meaning to ask what you did to that man's wrist. It shouldn't have broken that easily." George asked her bringing her back to the present.

Arie's face hardened.

"I made sure he couldn't raise a hand against another being."

George whistled.

"I can think of a few people who need the same thing."

Arie blinked up at the man.

"It's against the law to magic someone."

George shrugged.

"Maybe, but mayhap that doesn't mean there aren't people in this world that should be stopped."

Arie nodded watching the man curiously. Were there a lot of nobles who thought like this? Had she been wrong? She had to set those thoughts aside as a tingling itch worked up her spine. Her Gift had a few moments where it called to her. Demanding she use it. But now? He would see! Fear churned in her gut like rotten food.

"I think I need some fresh air."

George nodded and stretched.

"Probably, I'll show you round."

So much for getting rid of him she thought.


	8. Chapter 8

George offered his arm to her and Arie looked back to her friend. SandStorm snorted and threw his head as much as the small window would allow. His way of telling her to go. Arie placed her hand on his arm.

"So where'd you like to go?"

Arie opened her mouth and then her stomach rumbled. He looked at her with amusement and she ducked her head hiding her face.

"Kitchen it is then." He lead the way across the grounds to a servants entrance. The kitchen was filled with mouth watering smells. Arie's stomach growled louder. "Wait here a moment." In moments George had let go of her and was weaving his way between people.

Arie listened to everyone who was speaking. At first no one noticed her, which suited her just fine. An old cook was talking about ingredients she'd need to an apprentice. A servant was asking a woman by the ovens if she had extra bread. One lady was talking about a man who had been harassing her. Arie listened especially close to that conversation. The lady's friend advised her to keep her head down. She also promised not to send her anywhere near the man. Not that that would stop him, Arie thought bitterly. She had seen one woman come to her mother after she had been attacked by a man. Her mother had been furious. Arie hadn't understood fully what had happened to the woman until later when her mother explained. She had promised then and there she wouldn't let something like that happen while she was there. Not to anyone.

It took her a moment to realize that the conversation around her had slowed to a trickle. Those that were speaking were talking in whispers. When she glancing around at the women, they all turned back to their work away from her. But she saw one woman making a sign against evil in her direction. It was like a slap in the face. She looked down at the floor and fought against the anger and hurt. She couldn't help her hair color. A small voice in her head whispered, at least they don't know what kind of magic you use. She sucked in a deep calming breath.

"Arie?" George was leading an older woman over to her. "This is Feema."

The woman's wrinkled face smiled at her. It nearly broke her heart to see the woman smile at her so genuinely. Feema must have seen the look on her face or noticed how unnaturally quiet it was. She turned and barked,

"You have better things to do than your jobs?"

Everyone around them went back to their work and conversation picked up again. Arie opened her mouth to say that she didn't need to do that when her stomach growled. Feema laughed, a sound that shook her whole body.

"Let's get you some food." Feema took them out to a small table that was away from the kitchen staff. Away from prying eyes. Arie could have kissed the older woman. A plate loaded with food was set out on a table for Arie. She fell on the food devouring it like a starving animal. Feema chuckled, "Slow down, you'll choke."

Arie had to make an honest effort to slow down, but she ate just about everything accept the thick slice of ham. That she wrapped in a napkin.

"Thank you."

Feema waved her thanks off.

"It's my job to make sure everyone is well fed." Feema glanced at George of her shoulder. The man a smile on his face, but Arie wasn't sure why. "Anyhow, if you need anything, you just come ask me. Okay?"

Arie bobbed her head up and down. Trying to slip the napkin wrapped ham into her pocket without the other woman noticing. A smile pulled at the corner of the older woman's lips and the wrinkles around her eyes crinkled in amusement.

"Don't horde food, there's plenty here for you."

Arie blushed, but before she could deny it the woman got up and went back to work.

"Where to now?"

Arie looked at George. She bit her lip, maybe it would be alright. He might not even understand what she did. What harm could there be? Arie stood.

"I'm not sure the where, just the direction."

George looked at her curiously then offered his arm again. This time she took it without hesitation.

"Then lead the way."

Arie reached for her Gift. It would act like a compass. Then she felt the itching tingly feeling in the direction of the stables. She followed the feeling; no, it drew her feet like someone pulling her very soul. As they approached the stables she realized it wasn't coming from there, it was coming from past it. Her heart sank. The kennels. That's why she didn't want to eat the ham. The kennels were full to the brim with the sound of dogs barking. She walked down the line of doors and stopped at the third from the end. The feeling had risen from itch to roar in her blood that wouldn't be denied.

"Can I help you?"

Arie turned as a woman dropped down from the loft. Arie saw lines of copper magic coming off the woman and connecting to all the dogs in the kennel. Wild magic. The line of coppery magic that connected the woman to the dog behind the door Arie now stood in front of was weak and fading. The reason she was here.

"Would be alright if I took him out for a while?"

The woman looked her over with a keen eye. No doubt she was good at her job.

"Not sure you can." She walked over and opened the gate. Inside was a once beautiful animal. He was a wiry hound. The kind used to chase and hunt bigger game. Mostly black with brown patches across his face and down his belly. Now his body was dusted in white. He laid in pile of straw; couldn't even lift his head he was so tired. "He's on his last leg. He stopped eating yesterday so we're pretty sure the Dark God will be coming soon."

"If he will come, would be alright if I took him out? His last days shouldn't stuck in here."

The woman sighed.

"If you can that would be nice."

Arie smiled her thanks and crouched down in front of the dog.

"You don't really want to stay here do you?"

The dog lifted its ear. She laid a hand on the top of the dog's head and transferred a small portion of her Gift.

"I think you'd rather be running free outside. How about it?"

The dog barked his affirmation.

 _That does sound nice._ Shakily at first the dog rose. He stretched and looked up at Arie. _Lead the way._

Arie pulled the ham from her pocket."I brought this for you."

The dog sniffed and his tail started wagging as soon as she started unwrapping the food. Arie could feel George and the woman's stare. She offered the food to the dog who took it with great care not to bite her. Then he gobbled it down in a blink of an eye. The dog jumped up and planted his front paws on Arie's shoulders. Before Arie could do anything a long wet tongue slapped against her face. Then he dropped down and walked out of the stall. Arie wiped her face before following.

Once they were out the dog took off over the grass. Arie smiled and raced after him. He barked his joy and Arie whooped. Together they played for hours, alternating between hunting in the forest around the palace and the dog chasing a stick that she threw for him. Then sun was starting to set when the dog finally laid down in the grass panting. Arie sat down beside him and he flopped his head into her lap with a contented sign.

"How was that?" she asked as scratched behind his furry ears.

 _Thank you, I didn't want to end it in there._

Arie blinked back tears. Of course he knew he was dying.

"It doesn't have to end." Even as she said the words she knew it wasn't the truth. The dog sighed and woofed.

 _No, it is time. You were a pretty good pack mate,_ he licked her face again, _For a two legger._

Arie tried to hold back her tears. The dog, Bear, laid his head back down in her lap and breathed his last. Arie's Gift colored the air and she caught a glimpse of Bear running through lush fields with other dogs that had passed. His sire greeted him. Her Gift flared brightly leaving her feeling stronger if not soothed. Then it was gone and she sobbed helplessly hugging the dog. A hand was on her shoulder. Turning she saw George, his own eyes were full of tears.

"That is a beautiful Gift you have."

Arie snorted then gathered up Bear in her arms. Her Gift wasn't beautiful, it was sad. She always knew when people were going to die. She wiped her face on her upper sleeve, trying to be careful with Bear.

"It's not, who wants to know when people are going to die. Who wants to know that they are going to die?"

George shrugged.

"I didn't see Bear complaining. I think he's much happier with the way things ended than the alternative."

"Maybe."

"Would you like me to take him back?"

Arie shook her head no, a fresh wave of tears threatening to spill over.

"I think I should do this." With her shoulders back Arie carried Bear back to the kennels. The woman from earlier saw her and smiled sadly. She came over and took Bear.

"No worries. I'll see to him."


	9. Chapter 9

George lead Arie away from the kennels. Once they were a good distance from any source of people did he ask,

"So?"

Arie took a deep shuddering breath and it all spilled out of her.

"It's different for people and animals. Animals I get a vision of where their soul is. People my soul goes with them and waits with them for the Dark God. Most are comforted to have someone there."

George leaned up against the fence and pondered what she said.

"But not everyone."

Arie sat down on the ground drawing her knees against her chest and hugging them. Something; George guessed, she did a lot of when she was on her own. She shook her head no.

"The Gods condemn necromancy. So once people realize I know when someone's going to die it's usually only a matter of time." Her words stung and she did her best to keep the tears from her eyes.

"But what you do isn't necromancy. You don't trap souls. You give them peace."

"And their strength flows into me." She leaned her head back and looked up at the sky, sometimes she wished she could just fly away and leave her Gift behind. "When we die, when we are truly at rest, it is the greatest feeling. I get to feel that peace, but it also connects me to that person or animal so I grieve at their loss as if it were my mother all over again. Doesn't matter if I've known them years or seconds."

George looked up at the sky too.

"How exactly does your Gift work?"

Arie looked up at him sharply. She wasn't sure if she trusted him anymore. The only two people who ever asked about her Gift in detail were either sick or looking for a way to condemn her. She had learned that the hard way once already.

"What's your interest in it?"

George smiled softly and Arie got the distinct feeling he dealt with many people with sharp tongues. He held his hands out to her as if to show they were empty.

"I took a look at the crossbows and swords of the soldiers manning the gate."

Arie ducked her head, bushed colored her cheeks. She had forgotten about that.

"The wood looked like it had been out in the rain for years. Any metal was rusted beyond salvaging and the string was gone. The swords might be safe after they are cleaned for a few days." He sighed when Arie didn't answer. "My wife has done wonders for this land. Regular hero."

Arie looked up at him but he was staring off in space.

"Yet there are many who'd have her killed just cause she's different. Cause she does what a man does. Don't understand it. Being so stuck in your ways that you'd kill someone who'd save you, just they're different." When he finally looked at her Arie's breath caught. Something in her told her, this one you can trust.

"Aging. Anything and everything ages and decays. People, animals, plants, metals, cloth, bodies, minds, memories. It all dies or breaks apart. I can speed up, slow down, and in a lot of cases completely reverse that. That's why I can heal. And anything that dies I can," She thought about the best way to phrase it. "touch with my Gift. That's what allows me to give my memories to someone else, is that connection. There's a lot of power in that process. Even small plants."

"So why didn't you heal Bear?"

Arie sighed.

"Not everything can be fixed. All of us have a time to go and sometimes I can't change that. In order to heal I use some of my energy and the injured person's own energy or life to literally reverse the dying or mend their injuries. But if their body is all used up then I can't fix it. I can give some of what I have, but that is a temporary solution at best. If I give too much, I use up my own life."

George nodded and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"That's what you did to that man back then." he chuckled and slapped his knee. "He wasn't able to hold anything with any strength."

Arie shrugged.

"I can reverse it, but some don't deserve to have strength when they abuse it."

"Agreed. My wife, Alanna."

Arie turned and stared at him. He returned her look with confusion.

"You are married to the Lioness?"

He smiled and this time he looked like the happiest man alive.

"Aye. That would be my lass."

Arie looked the man over this time trying to see what might have attracted the Lioness to him. He must have guessed what she was thinking.

"We met when she started at a page, I didn't know until later; she was girl, when she needed help. I didn't believe until she offered to undress to prove it." He face turned red. "But when she was a page there was another page who was bigger and older than her. Always picking on her and other nasty things. She got fed up with it and did something about it."

"She beat him up, didn't she?"

"Aye. He left only to come back later like a nasty snake. But I took care of him when he came back and he won't hurt anyone ever again. So I understand using what you have to protect others from the evil in the world. Maybe just don't flaunt it when you bend or break the law."

"You weren't born a nobleman."

He flashed her a white grin, but he said nothing.

"Figures."

They sat there in a more comfortable silence until the sound of pounding hooves started getting louder. Both of them looked around at the same time. They saw SandStorm vault over the fence and race to them. Arie stood and started walking to meet her friend. George followed close behind her. When he met her he sniffed her over and nosed her; checking to make sure she was okay.

"What is it?"

 _One of your herd is here. The one who liked knives._

"Twitchy?"

SandStorm threw his head confirming what she thought. What would have brought him here? Twitchy was her teacher in all things knives and a few other less legal skills. He was very uncomfortable in the big cities because a few years back he had nearly been killed in a large crowd. However he was the fastest rider in the group that had left Sea King with her and his presence didn't bode well for her people.

 _The guards are suspicious of him and are questioning him. I will take you to him._

 _Please._ Arie was about to pull herself onto his back when she looked at George. "I think we have news from the people who are watching over Sea King and I suspect it isn't good. A friend is here being held by the guards."

"Maybe I can help."

Arie nodded and flung herself onto SandStorm's back then held a hand out to George. He took it and swung up behind her.

"Hold onto me," she told him as she wound her hands through SandStorm's thick mane. Arms wrapped firmly around her waist then SandStorm lurched forward. Arie squeezed his flanks with her knees keeping her firmly on his back. George slipped back slightly then redoubled his hold ensuring he squished her and remained on the horse's back. The next moment she felt the unmistakable feel of SandStorm's muscles bunching before he jumped. Then they were flying through the air, wind whipping around them, and the funny feeling in her stomach before they crashing back down. George slammed in her back with enough force to knock the wind out of her, but they both remained seated. She was actually impressed with his riding. Most people would have fallen off from that.

"Another jump," she warned as they approached the end of the pasture. This time when they landed George was prepared and didn't crash into her back. SandStorm moved swiftly eating up the distance between them and the front gates. It didn't take long to see their quarry. A small knot of guards were surrounding a man who was looking a little harassed. SandStorm came to an abrupt halt just before he stepped on one of the guards who stumbled away.

"Bout time." Twitchy grouched from the center of the knot of guards. "Kid they need help."

Arie held a hand to silence her teacher. She eyed the guards suspiciously. Even now she wasn't sure if any of them were working for their enemy. They may have been clean of the poison, but that didn't mean they were on her side.

"This man is with me." At her unsaid command the guards stiffened. She couldn't blame them really, she was a child, under what authority did she have to order them, they probably wondered. One man puffed up his chest and opened his mouth, but before he could speak George snapped,

"Do as the young lady asks."

This time the guard looked at George he seemed to recognize George for his status.

"My lord, we suspect this man is a thief."

George smiled ironically at him.

"Thief or not he's carrying news I think the king would want to hear. Now do as the lady says." His earlier accent was completely gone. This man was noble who held authority over lands and people. It was almost frightening to see the sudden change. The guards quickly did as they were told, releasing Twitchy. The man rubbed his wrists and growled curses under his breath. Arie dragged her teacher away from the guards before he could cause more trouble.

"What is it?"

Twitchy looked at George.

"You trust em?"

Arie didn't even think about her answer. She simply nodded. Twitchy whistled and looked George over more carefully. Taking in the scars on George's hands that were so like the ones Arie and he had.

"Those infected at Sea King are looking to attack another town over. Ray heard em talking. They will be on the move soon."

Arie swore and turned to George.

"Will the king act?"

George thought about it before repllying, "How sure are you that they will attack another town?"

"As sure as I can. They are running out of supplies at Sea King so they are turning their eyes to other prey."

George rubbed his chin and nodded. "The King will act."

Together the three of them went into the palace. It amazed Arie how swiftly things moved once the King and a few other nobles who gathered. They listened to Twitchy then the king ordered a group of riders and Raoul's company of the King's Own to go and detain the men. He asked Arie to go with them. She wouldn't have had it any other way.

"Detain these people. They are our people and they may be under the influence of this disease until we know for sure I don't want anyone to be put to death. I'll also send a few knights with you. Sir Keladry, Sir Jorrey, and Sir Nealan will also join you. You should be able to teach Sir Nealan how to remove the poison."

Arie nodded and thought to herself, great she had to babysit a knight.

The king dismissed them.


	10. Chapter 10

Arie watched George spoke with the King in whispers and the king nodded. She was a little nervous, but as of right that moment the king still needed her so he wouldn't get rid of her. George came back and steered her out of the room.

"We need to get you supplies for the trip. I check over your things and you have plenty of weapons."

Arie was a bit annoyed this man had gone through her things but she bit back the angry remark.

"We will also stock you with any healing herbs that you might need. The king said not t be greedy but take what you need. You'll be appointed to healer of the band your going with."

"There's something I'd like to ask you first."

George chuckled.

"Ask away."

"I wish to leave a young lady with my Gift as protection. It will lay in a charm and won't harm anyone unless they seek to harm, frighten, or force her into something not right. The charm will do harm only to those who would seek to do her harm. But I worry one of her potential attackers is a noble."

George rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"You want me to stand up for her?"

Arie sucked in a deep breath expecting to get rejected.

"No you want me to vouch for your magic and say it protects the girl if the noble tries to make trouble for her after being cursed."

Arie nodded.

"Can you show me the charm?"

"They're in SandStorm's saddle."

"Will he let me take a look at?"

Arie nodded again.

"Will you allow me to take it to another mage to make sure?"

"Yes." She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"If Numair says that the charm does what you say it does then I will vouch for the magic and so will Numair." George waved and called out to a man who was walking ahead of them. The man turned and smiled. He was a blunt nosed Bazhir. Probably in his late forties. He was dressed in the Own's riding uniform.

"How can I help you Cooper?"

"Qasim, this is Arie." he gestured to Arie. "She is the one who will be traveling with you. I'm sure Raoul told you something of her."

Qasim smiled broadly and nodded.

"You made quiet the impression on my lord. Almost as much as Lady Knight Kel." He looked her over. "Though you're nowhere near as tall."

Arie wasn't sure this was a complement or not. However the man seemed nice enough.

"I need her stocked up for the trip. Clothes, a tent, possibly a new bedroll, medical supplies, and anything else she might need."

Qasim agreed easily and held out his arm to Arie.

"Shall we?"

Arie had to admit he was charming as she put her hand on his arm. He swept her through the halls and asked,

"So what do you have?"

Arie considered her meager pack.

"I have a bed roll, weapons," All of her weapons had been returned to her by Numair. "and a riding cloak." When she finished her list Qasim stopped and looked at her with surprise. 'What," she asked.

"You don't have spare clothes?"

Arie shrugged and explained that she couldn't afford new clothes so she simply mended her old ones.

Qasim changed directions and lead her to the royal tailor. Once there Qasim explained the situation to the man behind the counter. He didn't even blink, simply had Arie stand beside him while he wrapped a corded rope around her and called out the number of knots that encircled her. He was brisk then he wrote a note in his book. An assistant came back a few minutes later carrying a large pile of clothes. He handed them to Arie then scrambled away from her. She sighed to herself, was she really so strange? Qasim noticed the interaction.

"Your hair is very beautiful, strange, but no less beautiful."

Arie looked at him thoughtfully fingering a lock.

"My mother said much the same thing. She used to pin my hair up so the blue green would fan my head. She said it looked like I was wearing a crown."

He looked thoughtfully at her like he was trying to imagine her hair styled the way she had described.

"Maybe you'll have to wear it up like that then."

Arie nodded her mind far away from them.

Next Qasim lead her next to the infirmary. Duke Braid already had a large pack set aside for her. Inside she found everything she would need to keep a company functioning. There was even a book on native plants that could be used in healing. Duke Braid came out a little later and said,

"Good you're still here."

Arie looked up at the man. Sweat dotted his brow and there were smudges on his clothes that looked like blood. He looked down at himself and said,

"Don't worry, he'll be alright. However maybe he will pay more attention to where he is going and not put a hand through a window."

Arie winced. Glass could be very nasty.

"But anyway I have a request to ask of you."

"What," she asked warily.

"My son will be traveling with you. You'll be teaching him."

So his son was Sir Nealan, Arie thought.

"He can be," he paused searching for the right word. "Talkative. Please have patience with him."

Qasim coughed into his hand trying to hide a smile. Arie looked between the two men. Clearly she was missing something.

"No worries your Grace, Kel will be there to keep him out of trouble."

"Gods bless that woman," The Duke's tone was almost reverent. Then he turned back to his work and left Qasim and Arie to carry things back to Arie's room. When they reached the room Arie's things were set by the bed. Qasim looked everything over and was actually impressed with her weapons. He then told her to wait here. Arie bit back another rude remark and sat down on the bed. It was only a little after Qasim left that she heard something outside. Her ears caught a surprised gasp. A sound that was filled with fear. Instantly Arie came to her feet grabbing a throwing knife from her bags.

Outside she saw the woman from the kitchens. A man dressed in a palace uniform had her pressed against the wall of the barracks.

"Come on," he said reaching for the top of her dress.

"Please stop, I have work to do." The girl's voice trembled and the man smiled. Arie snarled. The sound carried making the man jump back. He caught sight of her and smirked.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes, you can step away from the nice young lady or I'll make you."

His face changed to disgust.

"The wen-."

"Shut up," Arie snarled dangerously. Her Gift colored the air around her blue green, and the colored ends of her hair glowed. Power snaked forward and collided with the man throwing him away from the woman. "You would force yourself on a woman who clearly has no interest in you. A crime against the Goddess. Leave now. If I so much as hear a whisper of harm to this girl or any girl I will assume you're are at fault and I will ensure that not only you will never touch another woman again, but you won't have your manhood either. From this point on she is under my protection."

The man got up and scrambled back.

"It's a crown's offense to magick someone."

Arie smiled cruelly.

"And what's the punishment for forcing yourself onto a woman. I can show my memories to a justice and we will see what happens when they hand you over to the Daughters of the Goddess. Now get." Her voice came out in a hiss and bird over head screeched eerily. The man looked up, then looked back to Arie, and finally turned and bolted back to the castle. Arie sighed and turned back to the girl. She was huddled against wall making herself as small as possible. "I'm sorry for scaring you."

The woman looked up. She was pretty and tiny. She was also the same girl from the kitchen, and there was a bruise forming on her upper arm where the brute had grabbed her. Arie saw the bruise then snarled and turned to see if she could still see him.

"Please don't! You've done enough!"

It wasn't an accusation like Arie had half expected, more like the woman was worried she would kill the man. She admitted; if only to herself, that she considering killing him. Finally Arie sighed and turned back to her. The woman's eyes were puffy with tears.

"Come on. Let me look at the bruise."

The girl looked at her suspiciously.

"I wasn't doing anything wrong." She stuck her chin out stubbornly.

"I know." Arie told her gently. "Now let's get your arm fixed. It's hurting you right?"

She nodded and followed Arie. Arie had the girl sit down on her bed before reaching out with her Gift. Slowly the skin on her arm returned to normal.

"I never did ask your name."

The girl blinked at her. Then she seemed to realize Arie was waiting for answer, flustered she mumbled,

"Oh, Isabelle."

Arie smiled,

"Well Isabelle, I'm Arie."

Isabelle made an O face and pulled a small bundle Arie hadn't noticed she had been carrying until now.

"Feema asked me to bring you this."

Arie took the bundle and saw it was full of food. Dinner probably. Arie set the food aside and went to her bag.

"I actually have something for you as well."

Arie dug around her bag until her hand found a small piece of cold metal. She pulled out several necklaces. Each had the same charm on it. A flat circle with a flower etched into it. She untangled one and set it into Isabelle's hands. "It's a charm to protect you from things like that."

Isabelle looked at the little charm dubiously, "How?"

Arie laid one hand over the charm and Isabelle's hand and then cupped the bottom of the girl's hand in Arie's other hand. Green blue light glowed briefly then faded. When she took back her hand the etching of the flower was the same color as Arie's Gift.

"You wear it and it will rebuff anyone who means harm. It can't stop a killing blow. But any man who seeks to do that again will find." Arie tried not to laugh. "Their manhood missing."

Isabelle looked at her for a moment then back to the charm with awe.

"Why would you do this for me? You don't know me."

"It's the right thing to do." Arie replied simply. A moment later George and Qasim appeared in the door. George bowed politely and Qasim inclined his head to Isabelle. George looked at the charm in the younger girl's hand and then said to Arie,

"Couldn't wait could ya?"

Arie shook her head no.

"I had to."

George's sharp eyes must have seen something in her eyes because his gaze slid carefully over Isabelle. He seemed to note her puffy red eyes then nodded.

"Couldn't be helped then." To Isabelle he said, "I will vouch for the charm's power and that it will not harm anyone who does not bare you ill will." Then he looked at Arie and shifted a little uncomfortably. "By the way that is a nasty piece of work."

Arie smiled ruefully.

"My sister gave me help and the idea."

George looked thoughtful and Arie wondered if she had said too much. George offered an arm to Isabelle and promised to escort her back to work. She nodded her thanks and the two of them left. Qasim watched them go curiously.

"What was that about?"

Arie looked at him and said with a completely straight face. "Magic that protects women by taking away a man's manhood."

Qasim blinked then turned back to the door.

"Goddess." was all he said, before helping Arie pack everything up and carrying it out to where people and horses were gathering. Soon she would see her people again. Just hold on, she prayed silently.


	11. Chapter 11

Qasim helped her carry everything out to where all the men and a few women were gathered. SandStorm was already waiting for her. He came over to them a pony's lead rope was tied to his saddle. The pony was stocky, well built. She was mostly black with white socks and a white tail and mail. A simple saddle had already been outfitted to her.

 _You don't need this nag._ Her friend told her indignantly. Qasim saw the other horse and smiled,

"Good, I'm glad someone found you another horse. We always have two. That way our horses can rest." Qasim went to work strapping all her things to the little horse. She stood there very patiently as the different items were secured to her saddle.

"What's her name?"

"She doesn't have one yet."

Arie looked the pony over. Her coloring reminded her so much of a starry night sky.

"How about NightSky?"

Qasim looked to the pony who tossed her head and gave a little whiny.

"I think she likes it." he looked around probably for his own horse then asked, "Will you be alright on your own?"

Arie nodded

"I'm not alone, I have SandStorm and NightSky."

The man looked the two animals and grinned.

"You're going like Lady Kel," with that he disappeared into the crowd. Arie listened to the whispers of the men around her.

"What are we doin?"

"Don't know, some village was attacked."

"No, I heard, a village was poisoned. They was bringing a specialist with."

"The one with strange hair?"

"I heard she's a witch, cursed."

"Very strange hair."

"Alright, inspection," Another man growled over the noise. There was a chorus of groans. "Not a single saddle strap better be lose or you'll be walking."

"But sir! That's a long walk."

The first man chuckled darkly.

"Then you'll go first Lerant. Then you can rest before the long walk."

Arie saw the young man. He had brunette hair that flopped in his face and a snub nose. The man who had been speaking to him was now going over all of his animal's straps and the gear packed to it. His green eyes looked her way and she ducked her head throwing her hood over her head. She couldn't help but notice, Lerant had been one of the few near her that weren't actively talking about her as if she herself was poisonous.

A hand fell gently on her shoulder. Arie turned to find Raoul beaming down at her. Twitchy was at his side. Arie felt bad for her teacher. The man looked incredibly uncomfortable in the crowd. On the other side of Raoul was a stocky man with fair skin. His hair was a reddish brown color and was curled tightly against his head. Brown eyes looked her over with precision of a man who made quick judgments and was good at them.

"You should ride up near me." He gestured to the stocky man beside him. "This is Captain Flyndan Whiteford."

The man inclined his head respectfully, but by the look in his eyes he found her lacking in some way. Arie followed the men to the head of the small train pulling herself into SandStorm's saddle once they mounted their horses. Twitchy fell back to ride beside her. He had another horse as well. This one was sold gray with dark brown eyes.

"You trust em?" he asked nodding towards Raoul. Arie watched the big man's back as he chatted with Flyn. She thought about how he reacted to her Gift reaching out to him. He had been afraid, but something had held him firm. This was a man who took his job of protected people seriously and didn't shy away from things because they made him uncomfortable.

"Yes."

Twitchy pulled up on the reins and stared at her. Finally he shrugged and they were on the move. They rode together in silence for a long time before Arie worked up the courage to ask the question that was on her mind.

"How is everyone."

For the first time since arriving in Corus Twitchy smiled.

"No worries, your chicks are fine."

Arie blushed and sputtered, "They aren't-."

The man laughed and slapped her on the back.

"Kid all those people, even adults trust ya. Ya put most of em back together and folks don't forget that."

Arie ducked her head in order to hide her thoughts that she knew were written over her face. Arie saved others before, but that didn't stop people from turning on her when they thought she was a monster.

"When we make camp I wanna make sure yer not losen yer edge."

Now Arie laughed, "Bring it old man."

Twitchy's blue gray eyes were lit with amusement as he swatted her.

"Disrespectful little thing." He cast a covert look around at the men and women riding behind them. Anyone who didn't know him would think he was just looking at the surrounding forest, but Arie knew better. When he turned back he said. "There's a big man givin you a death glare."

Arie gave him Sir Jorrey's description and her teacher nodded,

"Aye, that's em."

"He's seems to think I want the Crown's favor." Twitchy snorted.

"Blue blood bas-" he paused glancing at Arie and decided not to finish his sentence. "Yer mom was always gettin after me about swearin."

Arie laughed, but now there were tears in her eyes.

"She always was one for proper manners."

Twitchy reached over and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry kid."

Arie swiped the tears from her eyes and sniffed.

"It's not your fault. It's not like you made her sick. I just didn't know enough to save her."

"Not yer fault neither."

"No it's not." Arie's stomach rolled, grief and anger mixed together in her gut making her sick. She clamped down on the memories not wanting to remember how uncaring people could be. The things people did in order to make sure their reputation remained untarnished.

It was night by the time group had stopped. They had made good progress, by tomorrow night they would reach her little group. Arie prayed to the Goddess and Mithros that her people would be okay and that they would make it there in that time. The young man from earlier: Lerant, came up to her as she was finishing setting up her tent.

"Lord Raoul wants to speak with you."

Arie turned to look at him and was forced to step back because he was a lot closer than she expected. His green eyes roamed across her face and he grinned at her. She wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not.

"I'm supposed to escort you."

Arie eyed him suspiciously.

"Let me finish getting my stuff unpacked."

"I can give you a hand, if you like."

Arie turned to him. Was he serious, she wondered. Then she thought mischievously, there's one way to find out.

"Sure, but be careful my horse bites sometimes."

He grunted.

"You never met Peachblossom." Lerant went over to SandStorm and Arie watched as the boy reached to grab a bag that hung from the stallion's saddle. The telltale signs were there. The horse's ears laid back, he eyed the young man. Then when Lerant's hand touched the bag, faster than he could blink the horse had man's hand in his teeth. Lerant jumped back and swore clutching at his hand. But he wasn't bleeding so it had just been a warning, a scary warning.

"You don't normally take things off a person's back without asking them do you?"

"You're serious?"

Arie rolled out her bedroll in the small tent and looked back out at him.

"Why would I joke about that?"

Lerant sighed then walked around to SandStorm's head. He stuck his hand under the horse's nose and cringed away expecting to be bitten again. Arie saw SandStorm roll his eyes.

 _I didn't bite that hard._

 _I know,_ she told her friend.

"May I help remove the bags?"

The horse snorted blowing air in the boy's face before turning to look at Arie.

 _However I like him, he is trained very easily._ SandStorm nuzzled the young man and sniffed his pocket.

"Sand-" Arie was about to reprimand her friend for being rude when Lerant pulled a shiny red apple from his pocket.

"It's alright, I've learned sometimes it's best to carry bribes." Then he looked to SandStorm and said, "I'll give it to you if you don't bite me again."

 _He even brought my favorite kind of apple, I really like him._

Before Arie could warn Lerant her horse leapt forward and snatched the apple from him. It was gone before Lerant could even yelp in surprise. SandStorm turned his side to the young man and let him finish unsaddling him. Once everything was stored in her tent she checked Twitchy's tent, but he was already gone.

"He's already over with Lord Raoul. The very jittery man who couldn't sit still."

Arie sighed in defeat and followed Lerant to where Raoul, Twitchy, Flyn, a young nobleman she didn't recognize, and a few Corporals sat around a fire.

"Ah good your here. I need you to explain what exactly we will be facing."

She got the hidden meaning in his words; don't tell everything. Arie sat down beside Twitchy before she began.

"The people we will be facing aren't doing things they normally would. Their minds have been changed by a poison. You must avoid contact with their blood and anything they drank. If they have magic do not let them use it on your body if you yourself are Gifted. If someone is acting very out of character it could be a sign they have been infected. I can remove it, but it takes time and is very tiring the farther along it is. I will do regular checks of everyone with the assistance of Sir Nealan."

The nobleman chimed in, "Neal, I'm just Neal." Soon the conversation broke down and Arie answered all sorts of questions, mostly from Neal, who was quite the scholar. Finally Raoul grunted and said,

"Any more questions can wait until tomorrow."

Arie gratefully slipped away as everyone was distracted. She made her way back to her tent and stopped when she saw something scratched in the dirt outside her tent. She stared in horror at the mark of evil that had been crudely etched into the dirt. She grit her teeth.

"Hey!" Lerant came up beside her. "Your friend said-," he stopped and noticed something was wrong. "What-" then he saw the symbol etched in the dirt. He made an angry noise before he bent down and wiped it away. "I'm sorry about that."

Arie turned her back to him. In the gloom he probably wouldn't see her cry.

"It's not your fault, besides you get used to it."

"No you don't."

Surprised, Arie turned to face him. She could see pain in his eyes. Briefly she wondered why people would hurt him as they had her.

"Anyway your friend was looking for ya. Something about practice."

Arie laughed.


	12. Chapter 12

She met Twitchy in an open area near the camp and she couldn't help but notice several men and women who hadn't gone to bed or weren't on sentry duty gathered around to watch. Twitchy also noticed their audience, he shuffled a little away from them. In a blink of an eye he drew a knife a and threw it at her. Arie rolled out of the way just in time to avoid an nasty bruise. Several people jumped up and were shouting at Twitchy. One man looked like he was going to tackle her mentor.

"Shut it!" snarled Arie. One solider looked at her like she was nuts.

"He just through a blade at you! With no warning!"

Others were shaking their head in agreement. Arie sighed and went to pick up the knife in question. She held it up so everyone could see it was shaped like a knife but had absolutely no edge to speak of. Even tip was round so that it would be nearly impossible to actually stab someone. However that didn't stop it from bruising you if you were careless.

"The whole point is to teach me to expect dirty tricks. People won't always fight fair. You of all people should know that."

"May I try?" It was a female voice from near the back. Arie saw her head even over the other soldiers. She had mouse brown hair that went straight down and was cut just above her shoulders. Hazel eyes peered into Arie's grey ones. Several men stepped aside and greeted the newcomer.

"Kel! How's things been?"

"Good to have you back squ- I mean Lady knight."

"Lady knight," and other such greetings came from the gathered group of watchers. Most of the men looked at her as if she were a comrade and with respect. Odd, Arie thought, what have you done to gain their respect? When she pulled her way through the crowd, Arie realized the girl was a good bit taller than her. She was well muscled and broad shouldered. Her body bore the scars of becoming a knight and fighting as one. So this was Keladry of Mindelan, Lady Knight, and Protector of the Small. Arie was about to nod when Twitchy shook his head.

"Pardon my lady, but I don't teach nobles, an I needa make sure this one ain't going soft."

Lady Kel nodded and took a seat near Lerant. The young man said something to her that sounded suspiciously like,

"You're still alive?"

She smiled politely. "Pleasure to see you again to Lerant."

Before Arie could turn around she heard the tell tale signs of an attack. Soft quick footsteps, and the indrawn breath of men who were looking past her. Arie dropped, a blunted knife sailed over her. She turned the weapon Twitchy had thrown at her against him, lashing out at the opening under his arms. He back peddled and she was only able to catch him a little. He grunted, but didn't touch the spot she had struck. That would give her more chances. His words from long ago came to her.

 _"When ya fight, fight to win. Drive the other person back. Use anything to unsettle em. Don't let em think."_

She dove forward kicking up dust as she came within striking range. A foot lashed out at her ribcage and she blocked. Then she realized her mistake a second too late. His blunted knife was coming down towards her shoulder. She hissed in pain as the metal connected with her shoulder with a painful thud. She dropped feigning pain, though maybe she wasn't pretending as much as she would have liked to be. Some of the men gathered around got up and made like they were going to intervene. Twitchy looked to them shying slightly. Arie used his moment of distraction and kicked his legs out from under him. Then she stabbed the ground next to his head.

"Your dead."

Instead of looking upset that he lost her mentor laughed.

"You make an old man proud."

She grunted and used her good arm to help him up. Her other one burned and throbbed.

"You're not that old."

He chuckled and patted her injured shoulder. Arie couldn't help the squeak, pain rolled through her and she nearly dropped right then and there. Sweat broke out over her brow as she struggled to remain standing.

"Go get checked by a healer."

"I am a healer," she snarled at him.

Still laughing he walked away. Arie grit her teeth and almost didn't notice Kel walking up to her and with a young boy striding in her shadow. He had short hair that didn't quite veil his blue eyes. Arie guessed his age to be between fourteen and sixteen. He had strong arms, was built well, and was dressed in Mindelan tunic and pants. His hands were scarred, but most of them were faded to point they were hard to distinguish. Only Arie's work at with her mother allowed her to recognize them. This boy had been beat years ago. Looking at the woman's eyes she could see this woman had not been the one to do it. Her eyes were that of the kind of person that wouldn't raise a and against another person without just cause.

"I can take you to my friend. He's very good at healing bruises."

Arie glanced around and noticed Lerant off to the side, waiting. For what, she wondered. The throbbing in her shoulder was only growing worse, reminding her she had other things to worry about.

"Sure."

Kel and the young man lead her off and they came to Sir Nealan's tent.

"You awake," Kel asked. Neal's face appeared in the flap of his tent. His hair was pushed to one side like he had been laying down.

"Mithros! You're here! When did you get here?"

Kel smiled as he came out of his tent and hugged her. She hugged him back.

"Good to see you too. We arrived a few minutes ago." She looked him up and down noting the bags under his eyes and his paleness. "Have you not been sleeping?"

Neal sighed. "Not as much as I should."

"Why not?"

Neal scrubbed his hands over his face. Finally he muttered through his fingers.

"She wants to be a knight."

Arie was confused, who wanted to be a knight and why was that bad? Wasn't he a knight? Kel snorted and looked very amused. The boy next to her didn't bother hiding his grin.

"What's wrong with that?"

Neal peeked through his fingers at Kel.

"I blame you," he told her sharply before he took a deep breath to calm himself. "She's two and my baby! I don't want her going through the pain and suffering we went through. You went through." He started muttering to himself.

"Didn't you say something about Queenscove always has a knight to serve the crown, and it is their duty. That's why you left the university and became the oldest page ever, right?" Amusement was sparkling in her eyes, but her face was without emotion. Her friend glared at her.

"Did you come for a reason other than to taunt me?"

Kel motioned to Arie.

"I think she broke her collar bone."

Neal turned his green eyes on her.

"I left you not an hour ago."

"I can do it my-," she didn't even get a chance to finish her protest. The young man's Gift was already settling into her. She could feel the pain subsiding along with a tingling itch of the magic working.

"You're lucky, it didn't break just very bruised. What were you hit with?"

Arie pulled her blunted knife from her belt and showed it to him. Neal looked it over and grunted.

"And you let someone hit you with that?"

"It's not like I wanted him to."

"Him?"

"I have a friend who teaches me knife skills, his way of teaching is very hands on. This," she held the knife, "was our compromise."

"He wanted to use real knives?" His voice cracked like the words were strangling him, Arie shrugged,

"That's how he learned," Arie said defensively. "I wanted to learn that way, but my mother ended up objecting," she explained. This however, didn't seem to help, Neal looked at her with an open mouth then he turned to Kel.

"Do you hear this? This is a compromise!"

Kel smiled slightly at him.

"You became a knight," she reminded. She turned to Arie. "Be careful, if we let him get started he won't stop."

"I can see that."

Neal glared at the two of them.

"Har har.," Neal said then he went back into his tent only to come back with a small bag and a cup of steaming liquid. She wouldn't ask where he got it. "Drink." he told her.

Arie sniffed the drink then winced. It stank. She sighed, tried not to breathe through her nose, then drank it down. She shuddered and handed the cup back.

"Have a cup in the mornings and evenings, it will help prevent your muscles from getting soar."

Already she felt better.

"Now get some rest."

Kel and the young man lead her back to her tent. Both of them said goodbye and promised to see her tomorrow. Arie was about to slip into bed when Lerant appeared by her tent. He was carrying food. Arie's stomach growled.

"I didn't see you eat."

Hesitantly Arie took the food. He blushed then ducked his head.

"I have to go, I'm on duty." Then he was gone before she could even say thank you. Arie sat down in her tent and ate before going to bed.


	13. Chapter 13

Arie woke not to the rising sun, but the sound of voices outside her tent. One was Lerant the other was Jorrey.

"Sneaking around Eldorne. Hoping the witch can wipe the curse of your family away?"

Two other men laughed. Arie grit her teeth and moved silently out of her tent. Circling around to find the problem. Two men from the Rider's s Company and Jorrey had made semi circle around the younger man. He had to know he was danger, but he didn't show it. Instead he stuck his chin out stubbornly.

"I'm surprised Goldenlake hasn't grown tired of having a traitorous whelp like you smearing his name."

Lerant's fist were clenched and Arie could see the exact moment he was resolved to punch the knight.

"You see, Sir Jorrey, this is the kind of thing the poison feeds off."

Everyone whipped around to look at her.

"Such a brave knight, you need two other men to attack another man who doesn't even have half the training you do." Her gaze went to the two men beside him. They were nothing special in any way. "I suppose I need to do my job and check to see if you have been infected. Unless you always behave thusly. Then maybe it is a magistrate I need to speak with." With each word her anger spiked and her Gifted colored the air. The two men stepped back fearfully. One muttered,

"Crown's offense to ma-"

Arie laughed.

"Would you like to see the letter allowing me to use my Gift to check anyone I suspect has been poisoned? And if I find something I am honor bound to remove it from you. Regardless of how painful it is." It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. But she could see the two men beside Jorrey were having second thoughts. Jorrey on the other hand just sneered at her.

"Chit."

Arie smiled, this time showing her teeth.

"Thank you for volunteering to be checked first, Sir Jorrey."

"You have no right." he snarled. "I'm a-."

A voice interrupted him. "Actually she does. By the king's order no less, not even a nobleman can refuse to be checked. And if he poisoned he has two choice, prison or have it removed."

Arie was startled to see Raoul walking out from the gloom. And if she was angry then he was furious. The big man looked down his nose at Jorrey in absolute disgust.

"You will all submit to being checked by Arie or I will have you sent back to the stocks."

Jorrey's lips peeled up in a growl and he glared at Arie.

"Don't worry, it doesn't hurt." She pulled her Gift toward her eyes. She focused on Jorrey and grunted when she found none of the black poison moving through him. Too bad, she thought to herself, he could do with a painful dose of humility. When she turned her gaze on the other two men they both flinched. They too were clean. She sighed, "They are clean of poison." She looked to the boy to the right of Jorrey. He was a pale red headed boy who's height had originally made her think he had been a man. "You should come see me and Sir Nealan after you eat breakfast."

He was wide eyed, staring at her and sputtered, "But you said we were clean."

Arie nodded and rubbed her tired eyes.

"Yes, but there is something funny looking with your lungs. I assume you have trouble sleeping and breathing? Probably get sick easily?"

The boy bobbed his head and looked surprised that she knew that about him.

"We will see about getting that fixed."

He blinked completely taken aback. The other man, Arie noted, had already slipped away, but Jorrey stood there plainly upset. Not that she cared even the slightest about how he felt.

"Sir Jorrey, would you come with me?" Raoul's tone brokered no arguments. "I think you and I need to have a nice little chat."

Arie very much doubted there would be anything nice about the chat. Jorrey suddenly realized he could actually be in trouble and went without any further nasty looks or comments. Once they were gone Arie looked to Lerant who had seemed to have gone unnoticed once Raoul arrived.

"Happen to you often?"

He blushed and ducked his head.

"You didn't have to help."

Arie shrugged. She could tell something was eating at him and she wondered if it was because she had helped him or because she had heard what Jorrey had said.

"Actually, I think I did. That would have been a beating." She glared at the way Jorrey had gone. "Honestly, what kind of knight needs a group to beat on someone less trained than him. So much for the realms great protectors."

"Some aren't so bad. Raoul. Kel."

Arie turned back to him thoughtfully. It would take a little tweaking, but she could fashion a charm like what she had given to Isabella for Lerant. Only this one would rebound physical attacks. Could she afford the drain on her Gift? Looking into Lerant's eyes she knew it would be worth it.

"Come on, I think I have something that may help even the playing field with your tormentors."

He looked at her curiously, but followed her as she moved back into her tent. He hesitated at the entrance.

"I'll wait here." he said at the flap. Arie snorted, then realized he was serious. She shrugged. At least he was respectful, she mused to herself. Arie dug around in her bag looking for the charms.

"So what was that about anyway? I mean, I understand Jorrey doesn't like me, I'm a nobody who has the king's favor, but you're a noble. What's his beef with you?"

Silence greeted her question. She stopped what she was doing and turned to look at him. He was looking down at the ground in shame. Her heart ached for him.

"You don't have to tell me. It's not any of my business anyhow." She went back to searching around in her bag.

"You know there was a group that tried to overthrow King Jonathan?"

Arie nodded. She started checking the side pockets in her bag.

"My aunt was one of them. Crazy bat."

Arie's hand froze on the tangle of charms. Pulling them out she turned back to Lerant. Maybe they had just gotten very lucky.

"Your aunt, she was Lady Delia?" Arie dropped the charms when he nodded. Gods, he could hold the key to finding Apostate, she realized. Lerant miss interrupting her reaction started backing up and was about to turn and walk away.

"Wait!"

He stopped and looked at her with hurt in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I should explain. Come in. Shut the flap."

He looked at her surprised and cautiously moved into the small space shutting the flap behind him.

"Aren't you worried about your reputation?"

Arie snorted. What reputation did she have that wasn't bad? She voiced this question out loud to him. He blushed and she realized he did actually think well of her. Maybe even respected her as a woman. She scrubbed her eyes. She was too used to men looking down their noses at her.

Arie explained what it was exactly they were doing. She told him about the mage and his aim. She told him about the mage's poison and what it did. Even went so far as to show him what she had seen.

"Did you ever see a man, a mage following your aunt and Lady Josiane? He probably wouldn't have been with them. Just watching from a far."

Lerant thought about it and shrugged, "I only saw them together once or twice."

"Anything would be helpful."

Lerant sat down on the floor thinking. The silence stretched to breaking point before Lerant nodded.

"There was one time, Josiane came to call. She brought a small group of servants. One was a mage. A retainer or something. Real creep that one. He was always following them and muttering to himself. My aunt hated him, but Josiane liked having him around."

"Can you describe him?"

Lerant nodded giving Arie a description and a name. Ark. Arie was so excited she was practically dancing when she dragged Lerant out of her tent to Raoul's. The man was just coming out of his tent when he saw them approaching. He smiled at Lerant.

"Made a friend?"

The young man blushed a deep crimson, before he could say anything Arie burst out.

"We might have a lead on Apostate."

Raoul waved them into his tent and had them explain. Lerant told him what he had told Arie. Raoul considered everything he said carefully before asking,

"You're sure?"

Lerant nodded. He grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled everything Lerant had told him on the paper. He rolled it up and looked to Arie.

"Do we trust a messenger to take this?"

Arie was about to open her mouth to say yes, then she realized that there could very well be spies for Apostate watching the for such an occurrence. She didn't want to risk a messenger's life.

"I think I might be able to find someone we can trust to get it to the palace unseen."

Raoul handed the roll of paper to her. Without a second look at either of them she ran out of the tent. The sun was just now starting to rise as she wove her way through the tents to Neal's tent. She was about to knock when Neal stuck his head out of the tent.

"What are you in such a hurry for?"

Arie held up the letter and said,

"I need your help with something."

The young man sighed, "Alright, what is it?"


	14. Chapter 14

Arie lead the young man out into the forest making sure no one saw them leave. Once they were a good distance from the camp Arie sat down and crossed her legs. She reached out to the animals around her. It took some time because she kept losing focus with Neal's impatient pacing behind her. Finally she found what she was looking for. A murder of crows. Tentatively she called the group to her. There were many animals who could and would resist Wild Magic, crows were one of them. She touched her pouch that she kept on her at all times. Worse comes to worse she could always bride them.

Soon the black birds filled the trees squawking and looking at her and Neal curiously. Neal she noticed was gaping at the huge swarm of black birds.

"You're like Daine. You have Wild Magic."

"I'm not nearly as powerful with it as she is. My power lies in a very different direction, but if I speak to animals they will become more like us. Unfortunately I can't become them like Daine can."

The lead bird dropped down and landed on Arie's knee.

 _You called?_

"I wish to ask a favor of you and your brothers and sisters."

The bird tilted his head so a gleaming eye could stare at her.

 _What do we get if we do this favor?_

"Food, shelter, and protection on your trip."

The bird cawed a sound that was unmistakably a laugh.

 _If that is all you offer? We have shelter and plenty to eat. Besides, there are Stormwings up ahead that we want to mob._

Arie felt her blood go cold. There were Stormwings ahead? That didn't bode well. She reached into her pouch and drew out a small drawstring purse. When she opened it she revealed the bag was full of brightly colored and well polished stones. The bird froze and eyed the shiny rocks.

"I'll give these to your flock."

Every bird above them stopped their chatter and turned to look at the treasures she held. She pulled out a smooth purple stone that shone like polished metal and placed it in front of the lead bird.

"A gift."

The bird eyed the present hungrily. He poked and prodded the stone with his beak before looking back at the bag.

 _You'll give us all of those if we do one favor for you?_

"I simply need you to take a message to someone at the palace and bring back her response. She will be able understand you like I do."

 _We know of who you speak of._

Arie gestured to Neal.

"And he will create a temporary protection so you can get there and back safely."

The bird turned to Neal now.

 _Can he really protect us?_

"They want assurance you can protect them."

Neal suddenly looked very uncomfortable.

"I can protect them, but they will have to fly close together. They will see the bounds of the protection. It will shield them from human attacks and predator attacks, so long as there isn't a mage to remove it."

Arie turned back to the crows about to explain and the bird made a squawking noise before he could.

 _We will do it then._

Arie used her own Gift to show the path that her group would travel on so the birds could find her again. The bird looked up and cawed. Another larger bird flew down beside Arie.

 _Asuna is our strongest flyer. She will take your message._

After that Arie carefully attached the letter to the birds leg. Then Neal worked his magic on them. Once that was all done the lead bird took the purple stone and took off. The rest of his flock followed, scattering feathers and leaves all around them. When they were gone Neal asked,

"What were the stones?"

Arie showed him the bag.

"They are just rocks that are different colors and were polished to shine."

"What are they worth?"

"They are worthless. They just look pretty."

"Do the crows know that?"

"What a crow sees worth in a human doesn't necessarily value. They like these stones because they are pretty and shiny. So to them they are priceless, where we humans have no real value for them."

Neal peered at the bag.

"So if they have no value to humans, why are you carrying them around with you?"

There was a ghost smile on her face as she walked back towards camp.

"Because they were gift."

Neal followed after her clearly wanting to ask more, but Arie spoke before he could say anything.

"We have someone to heal, so we have no time to waste." When they made their way back there were two people waiting outside Neal's tent. One was Lerant the other was the boy with a lung problem. Both boys were glaring at each other. Arie rolled her eyes. "Concentrate your Gift in your eyes," she told Neal. She could feel his Gift right before he gasped.

"This is amazing! You can actually see into his body," he paused as he saw the same thing Arie had. "Do you spend a lot time around mines?" At Neal's question the boy blushed and ducked his head. He was about to say something, probably going to deny being around a mine when Lerant added,

"There is a closed mine that is sometimes used as a rendezvous."

The other boy glared at Lerant and Arie cleared her throat before either man could make another sound.

"If that is truth, you should strongly suggest that any person you visited there regularly with, needs go visit a healer. However, I don't think that person will suffer nearly as bad as you. You seem to have something else that when added with dust and fumes of the mine have made you especially sick."

The young man looked down at the ground and Arie added,

"I don't care why or even how. I all I care about is no one else gets sick and that you aren't going to die."

He looked up at her completely taken aback as he looked from Neal to Arie. Neal rolled his eyes.

"Let's get this taken care of."

Together the two of them spent the rest of the morning cleaning the young man's lungs. Once they were done they sent him to eat again. When he left two smiling faces appeared in the open tent flap. Sir Kel and the boy who had trailed beside her all of last night. They both had food in their hands.

"I heard you were doing healing." Kel said as she passed the plate she was carrying to Neal and Arie took the bowl the boy handed her. "You'll need your strength. You'll have to pardon my manners, this is Tobe." She indicated the boy beside her. "He is kind of like a squire, without the palace training."

Neal and the boy snorted.

"Tobe is the only one who outside of Kel, can handle that beast she calls a horse. He also is pretty good at watching out to make sure our lady knight is taken care of."

Looking at the young boy's gleaming blue eyes, Arie believe it. There was something else, as she looked him over she could feel a power coming off him.

"Wild Magic," she whispered. Everyone looked at her with curious looks. "Sorry, I realized why you felt familiar to me Tobe. You have Wild Magic. Like me."

The boy blinked at her.

"I have magic?"

"It's faint, but still there. You probably can handle animals very well. They speak to you like people do, yet not."

"Horses and some other animals." he nodded at Kel. "Her dog, Jump, and the sparrows are all easy to understand." Arie saw Lerant out of the corner of her eye. He had been standing waiting since she had been gotten back from speaking with the crows.

"You'll have to excuse me. Thank you for the food." She headed out of the tent taking her food with her. Lerant was still waiting.

"You still want to make that charm?" There was an unsure look on his face.

"Come with me." She started walking back to her tent. Everyone around them was already up and getting packed up to move on. Life moved on, she thought to herself. "Do you know how many lives you might have saved? With the information you gave me."

Lerant shrugged.

"Not really."

"That little scrap of information you gave me could be enough to help track down who we are looking for. Every day he's allowed the run free puts countless lives at risk. People who just want to live their lives." She clenched her fists remembering the damage that had already been done. Her people had suffered and she could only do so much to stop it. Some hadn't survived. She fought back the tears that threatened to choke her. How come the gods didn't put a stop to this, she wondered bitterly. "Thank you so much." She wiped away the tears before he could see them, then entered her tent. The tangle of charms lay on the floor where she had dropped them earlier. She picked them up and began untangling one from the massive knot. Lerant sat on the floor and watched her work.

"You care a lot for complete strangers."

Arie looked up from her work.

"You would have interfered and even fought with me even though you knew nothing about me. Why? Wouldn't it be easier to let it be?"

Arie laughed bitterly.

"My mother taught me that compassion and kindness are a requirement for being a healer. It doesn't matter if the person you are helping is a king or beggar, a priest or a murder. It is a healer's job to help people who are hurt, no matter where they came from, or the past they have." Her fingers continued to untangle the mass of charms until one was free. "Life is the most precious gift of all, and healers are charged by the gods to protect that gift with everything we have. I am a healer, like my mother." She held up the charm to show him. "I believe that sometimes we need to act proactively to prevent people from coming to see us. Besides, you look like you've had enough of being bullied for one life time." She put the charm in Lerant's hand. Doing like she did for Isabella; laying one hand over his hand that held the charm, and cupping the bottom of that same hand with her other hand. This time when she poured her Gift into the gleaming metal she reworked the outline of her sister's magic that she had left for her. Twisting them slightly so it would follow a slightly different guideline. Once she was done she withdrew her hands. He looked at the glowing flower etched into the circle of metal.

"Why a rose?"

"Roses symbolize love, and the different colors symbolize different kinds of love. It takes a certain amount of love to give a piece of yourself to protect someone else. My sister said that since there is no rose with my color, it would be a love for life."

Lerant looked at the little flower carefully.

"Not very manly."

Arie snorted

"You don't want it, give it back."

He closed his hand over the charm and blushed, "No, I don't think I will." He pulled the chain over his head and slipped the charm under his tunic. "You should eat," he nodded to her bowl of food that she had set beside herself. Then he left before Arie could say anything.


	15. Chapter 15

A few minutes later the whole company was packed up and on the march again. Arie was back in SandStorm's saddle with NightSky trudging placidly behind her. Neal rode beside her while she explained the finer points of removing the poison, and what it did to the person it affected. She also impressed upon him how painful what they were doing was, not physically, but mentally.

"Imagine someone else looking into your head and making you confess to everything wrong you have ever done. Everything you are ashamed. We essentially force them to own up to it all and then give it up. Not everyone is strong enough to do that. What we are doing will kill some, but letting it stay and fester would be worse. It takes away any chance of a future if left untreated."

Neal swore to himself.

"Someone actually managed to do this?"

Arie nodded sadly. Her fists were clenched on the reins, she had to force the memories away before they crushed her under their weight. Neal blew out a breath.

"How long has this been going on?"

"A few months."

Neal pulled sharply on his reins, causing his horse to come to an instant halt and snort annoyed that her rider was being so hard handed. He patted the horse's neck apologetically, then he turned to Arie with a shocked expression on his face.

"Why did it take so long for you to come to the Crown for help? As a healer, you know as well as any that the longer this thing is allowed to exist the more harm it causes to everyone."

Arie grit her teeth and looked away from him. She would not lose her temper here; she couldn't afford to.

"I had no idea just how fast it spread, at first. We thought we could handle it. Plus, it took time to understand what we were dealing with, and track down the ship that carried it. Then I realized I couldn't do this with just my little family." Lies, a voice in the back of her mind whispered. That's all a bunch of lies, you knew within days of discovering it. You were too prideful to ask for a nobles help after what happened to your mother. Now people are being hurt because you didn't have it in you to ask for help sooner. How was I supposed to know the nobles who would care; she asked the voice, they certainly had proven they looked out for themselves first.

Neal ran a hand through his hair. A sign he was very distressed by the news, though you wouldn't know it by the way he was looking ahead. Neal spurred his horse forward.

"I guess it can't be helped now."

Arie nodded, she noticed Twitchy had turned around in his saddle. Anyone would have thought he scanning the woods, but Arie knew better. He was looking back at her to check to make sure she was okay. Arie gave him a subtle nod and he turned back to front. Another horse pulled up beside Arie. It was Lady Knight Keladry on her gelding. The horse was a strawberry roan and he eyed SandStorm in a way that made Arie worried.

"Peachblossom behave." The knight told her mount. The horse snorted. Arie laughed and patted her own horse.

"SandStorm doesn't look it, but he protects his herd. No matter what. I've seen him seen him go after a man who was beating one of his herd. And he's not afraid of predators either. Trust me when I say he will not be someone you want to pick a fight with carelessly my friend." She told the other horse. Peachblossom turned his head to see the human addressing him. He looked into her grey eyes then turned back to the road. Kel blinked.

"You do have Wild Magic."

Neal snorted.

"You should have seen her messengers, they-."

Arie gave him a sharp look silencing the young man.

"Part of their protection is that no one knows."

Neal closed his mouth.

"Right, sorry."

Arie took a deep calming breath and took covert glances at anyone near. No one was paying too much attention, but that didn't mean anything. People have ears.

"So, about how much farther is this town?"

Kel's eyes had amusement dancing in them, but her expression was perfectly neutral.

"Sea King is a few leagues south of Pirate Swoop, it's the halfway point between Pirate Swoop and Port Legann. Didn't the Lioness teach you about the towns and villages around her home?"

Neal had opened his mouth to say a quick remark when Arie gasped in pain. She nearly slipped from SandStorm's back. Her horse whinnied when she yanked hard on the reins to keep herself from falling. Neal and Kel reached out and steadied her. Arie hunched over the saddle and dragged in breath. She couldn't hear either person's questions of what was wrong, or was she alright. All she could hear or feel was the roar of Gift. The normally itching tingle was now a fire that raced through her blood. It had happened like this once before, during the Immortal's War. Her mom had gone to a battle field nearby. So many dead. It was SandStorm's voice that brought her mind away from the well of her Gift.

 _Arie, what is it?_ Her friend knew what she felt. He recognized the symptoms of her Gift's power. He probably even sensed it flickering to life n its own. Before Arie could answer she felt something in the midst of the roar of so much death. A flickering light. Two. Then a voice whispered across her mind.

 _You can save them._

Oh Gods, she thought to herself. She forced the pain away from her mind and focused solely on those flickering lights.

"Neal, SandStorm, we must hurry. Someone needs our help." She collected her Gift in her hands making a small ball of fire. To herself she said, "Find where death's door is creaking open, don't let them go." The fire shot from her palm and darted in between the riders up ahead. Horses shied at the sight of the fire, riders turned back to see what had happened. "Go," she said to SandStorm. Her friend reared and whinnied, before galloping after the ball of blue green fire. Arie clung to her friend's neck for dear life while trying to control her breathing.

"Outta the way," Neal shouted from behind her. The riders ahead had just enough time to move out of SandStorm's way as he and his rider burst past them. Magic fire ducked left into the trees and SandStorm didn't hesitate to follow. Branches lashed at Arie's face and body, but she didn't care. One of the lights was slowly dimming, growing fainter and fainter. Somewhere behind her she heard Rauol call up to Neal,

"What's going on?"

"No clue," the young noble called back. Up ahead the trees were thinning then SandStorm was standing in a vast clearing. It might have once been a field for some farmer, but now it was a graveyard. The grassy field was bathed in blood, bodies, and arrows. Stormwings were already rolling around in the blood, gore, and feces. Desecrating the bodies of the fallen.

The fire moved off to the left of the field, following the tree line. It settled above the ground just outside of the trees. Pulsing.

A cry brought Arie's gaze to the sky. Two Stormwings were spiraling in the air over her flame, then they dived and Arie knew they wouldn't make it there in time, even with SandStorm flying over the ground. She reached for her Gift; like she had done when she arrived in Corus, and she swept her power in an arching band at her enemies. "Leave the living! The bodies of the dead are yours," she yelled at them. Blue green magic collided with the immortals. They were sent spinning and spiraling away though they both managed to right themselves. The creatures must have decided there was easier prey elsewhere because they flew off to join the rest of the immortals rolling in the muck of the dead. SandStorm came to an abrupt halt before the flame that was bouncing above two men. They were lying huddled in the tall grass. Only one of them was actually awake and aware.

"Please don't hurt us, I just wanna help my brother." The men were both dressed in King's Own uniforms, blood and mud soaked the once pristine clothes they wore. Arie swung out of the saddle and grabbed her bag of medical supplies out of SandStorm's saddle bag.

"I'm not here to hurt you, I'm a healer."

The man was about to tears. He sobbed, "Thank you! Gods be praised, thank you!"

Arie reached out with her Gift and sent the man to sleep. No need for him to be in even more pin, she thought to herself.

"Rest easy now. You are in good hands."

Neal came riding out them. He looked out over the field as he dismounted.

"We will need to get a search party to check for survivors and run these beasts off." The way he snarled when talking about the Stormwings made Arie think he had had a particularly bad experience with the Immortals

"Don't bother, there are only dead out there. These men are the only ones that live, and they need our help now more than the dead do."

Neal looked like he was about to ask how she could know that, but then he saw the young man Arie was working on. Arrows were sticking out of his body like a grotesque pin cushion. Blood dripped out of his mouth and he stared unseeing at the flame above him. He was fading fast. Arie pulled the man's head in her lap.

"Hold on there, it will be alright."

The young man tried to look at her, he was gasping desperately for breath.

"Stay," Arie cooed at him in a soothing voice.

"Tryin-," he gasped. But Arie could already feel him slipping to the path that would lead him to the Dark God's realm. She reached into the well of her power and followed after the man. He had already begun to move down the path. Arie rushed after him, catching his hand.

"It's not your time to go this way," she told him. He looked down at her and her hand on his. She tugged gently the way they had come from.

"I don't know if I can get back," he confessed. Arie smiled reassuringly at him, her Gift moved down her hand and into him.

"No worries, I'll help you." Arie lead the way back up the path; hand in hand, until a hooded figure blocked their path. Arie squared her shoulders and squeezed the man's hand, before addressing the God, "You told me I could save him."

The Dark God nodded, but remained in her path for a moment longer. He seemed to be looking her over, whatever it was he sought he seemed to have found because he stepped aside and allowed them to pass. Arie opened her eyes to see the man smiling at her. Neal's Gift was laid over the wounds, the arrows laid next to him.

"Thank you," he wheezed before his eyes slid shut. Neal looked crestfallen, until Arie laid a hand on his shoulder.

"They live. I sent them to sleep. Rest will help with gaining their strength back."

Neal breathed a relieved sigh.

"We should check to make sure they and the battle field are clean of poison before we let any of others here."


	16. Chapter 16

Neal did as Arie taught him and checked their patients over, both were clean of the taint. Though looking over the battle field they couldn't say the same thing for it. The black poison was splashed over the bodies, whoever had done this had hoped to infect the people that came to take care of the bodies. Anger spiked in Arie's veins. These people had been killed to spread the poison on those who came to honor the fallen.

"What are we going to do," Neal asked. "We can't just leave this place like this."

Arie nodded and grit her teeth.

"First let's get these two away. That way they aren't at risk of getting infected." Arie whistled for Neal's horse who came along with SandStorm. "You two will need to be very careful. Walk slowly and keep the same distance between each other."

SandStorm threw his head to tell her he understood while the other horse snorted. Arie grabbed her tent and rope and laid it out between the two horses. She then attached ropes to the four corners of the fabric throwing two over the back of the horse closest to that side. Carefully Neal and her loaded their charges onto the canvas before hoisting them up in the make shift stretcher.

"Take them back to safety, then don't come back until I give a signal. Make sure no one comes out here and no one tries to shoo the Stormwings." Her words didn't make him happy, but Arie insisted. "They could know what happened here."

He blew out a breath and finally, "I don't like it, but I'll do it. Mithros knows that was half of being a page. Shutting up and doing what we were told."

Some of Arie's anger seeped away.

"I'm sure that was a difficult lesson for you to learn."

Neal snorted.

"The Stump threatened to tie my tongue in knots on a daily basis."

"The Stump?"

Neal opened his mouth to say something, but one of their patients groaned in pain. "A story for another time."

Arie agreed and let it go. The young man turned and lead the horses back to the train. Even from where she was standing Arie could see some of the people gathering on the tree line. She only hoped none of them tried to shoot the Immortals before she got a chance to speak with them. She sucked in a deep breath before turning to march out to the bodies. As she walked she sent a silent call to any animal in the clearing.

"Friends. There is poison here. The only way to destroy it is to kill the vegetation. Please move to the trees. It will be safe there." She received no answer, but Arie could see little bodies moving through the brush to the tree line. She would wait to insure they had all left before she began the purge. In the mean time she made her way over to the Immortals who seemed to have finished rolling in the dead. One came swooping at her, razor wings slicing inches from her face. Arie didn't flinch. But the smell of him was enough to make her stomach roll. That and the smell of the dead on top of the Immortals was going make her throw up very soon.

"I wish to speak with your queen," she managed to say it without coughing or gagging as the stench filled her nose and mouth; it was so strong she could taste it. Arie fought the urge to spit foul taste out of her mouth.

"Why should I care?"

Anger burned in her mind and gave her the strength to control her heaving stomach. She knew the Stormwings were doing what they were meant to, but this still angered her.

"Two reasons."

The Immortal tilted his head curiously.

"First, I have let you have your sport and have prevented the soldiers in the trees," she gestured to some of men standing back in the trees. "From shooting you. Second, there is a poison here that you all have been rolling in. I want to make sure it does not affect you as it does us."

"What is this about a poison," A haughty female Stormwing asked.

Arie was startled when she recognized the icy green eyes that stared out of a pretty face. She bowed her head respectfully.

"Queen Rehah. A pleasure to see you again."

The Stormwing tilted her head to get a better look at Arie then cackled once she recognized her. "You have grown from the child who took a tumble down a cliff, Arie."

"It's thanks to you that I got the chance to grow up."

The Immortal clearly uncomfortable with pleasantries quickly changed the subject, "What were you saying about poison?"

"A mage created it. It works by growing the darkness that exists in humans. It can be spread through blood, water, and by spell of a Gifted person who carries the taint. I'm not aware if it does affect Immortals or not. I'd like permission to look over your flock."

Rehah looked over at her gathering flock and nodded.

"What do you want in return?" The Immortal's sharp eyes saw straight through her.

"I want you to tell me everything you can about this battle." She gestured to the bodies around them. "And I may need help stopping the one who did this."

The Immortal flashed a wolfish smile.

"This sounds like it could benefit us to stop you. If it increases the darkness in people's hearts that means there will be battles a plenty."

Arie nodded and let herself smile with her winged friend. There was nothing funny about her next words. "I might have agreed with you. Let this world rot and let the nobility be crushed under the weight of their own avarice. Then I considered something. The poison drives people to infect others. Which includes children, and parents. Some of the things parents have done to their children because of this," Arie clenched her fists and when she looked up at Rehah, she let the Immortal see the rage, and grief that were on verge of ripping her soul apart. "Well, let's just say even you would want to end all war if that was something that would happen."

Stormwings had a soft spot for children, her life was a testament to that. That was her advantage here. Rehah was old and wise; for a Stormwing, but she was not cold like a few of her kind that Arie had met; she was certain of that.

"You have a deal then."

Arie bowed her head in thanks to the Queen.

"I need to clear the battlefield. Tell your flock to land in the trees." Arie waited for the flock to clear out before she made her way to the center of the field. There she knelt down and laid her palms on the ground. "Father, give me strength." she prayed. The feeling of a hand on her shoulder made her turn, but there was no one there. "Thanks."

Arie reached into herself. She found the well of fire in her soul. Grabbing hold of a flame, she then throw her Gift out over the land like a blanket. Blue green fire raced toward the tree line in every direction. Grass and any form living plants withered instantly. Seconds later all the vegetation that had been passed over was completely gone leaving only barren earth. Arie had to concentrate once her Gift started reaching bodies. She didn't want to destroy them; merely cleanse them. Her Gift parted around each body and rolled over them. Cleansing them of poison, but leaving the bodies themselves untouched. Finally Arie was satisfied the land had been cleared of poison and she drew back the fire into herself. With it came the power of all the life she had taken.

It took a moment to get over the heady feeling of the energy rushing through her veins. It was actually the sight of a young man's body that snapped her out of it. Quickly Arie went to the body. She wasn't entirely sure what she was doing, but she felt compelled to do it. Her Gift wrapped around the man's body. It cleared away the dirt and fluids from the Stormwings, leaving the man looking like he was asleep; even the arrows were gone. When the fire of her Gift faded a name whispered across her senses. Arie blinked. It was the man's name, she didn't know how she knew, but she wasn't going to lose this chance. She checked herself frantically looking for a dagger. Once she pulled a knife from her boot, she carved the man's name in the dirt next to him. Then she went to each man and repeated the process until everyone was cleaned and her Gift was spent. Breathing heavily she caught sight of the steely wings before she fainted.


	17. Chapter 17

Arie turned over in her tent. She blinked and sat up carefully. Soreness lingered in her body, but nothing too serious. That was odd, she thought to herself. She had used all her Gift before and it had left her weak and hurting for days. She set that thought aside to consider later she lifted the flap of her tent. The sun was setting and they had made camp again. SandStorm was waiting very impatiently by the tent. He butted his head against her chest with enough force to knock her over.

 _Don't do that again._ The horse said in a serious voice. _Your sire's magic is too much for you to be taking._

Arie blinked and stood again.

"Is that what happened?"

Her friend nodded before turning back to the look over the camp at something.

 _Your crude friends decided to hang around. They are waiting for you. The Queen wouldn't start until you arrived._

She was about to ask what he meant when she caught a whiff of something that made her gag. Stormwings. Wrinkling her nose she followed the scent. There were two Stormwings perched on a log, their sharp talons digging into dead wood while Raoul stood by the fire. One Stormwing was male the other was Queen Rehah. Both chatted quietly with each other. It was the male who saw her first. He cackled and asked,

"Back from the dead?"

Arie gave him a sour look and a rude gesture. His queen beside him laughed.

"Good to see you still have fire." She glanced at Raoul. "Important friends you have now Arie."

Arie ducked her head. Her cheeks red.

"I'm just here to help."

"Nonsense," Raoul put in. "You saved two of the King's Own. I owe you a lot for that. We would have past them and never have known."

Arie opened her mouth then closed it, there wasn't much she could say to that. Raoul turned back to the two Immortals.

"Shall we begin?"

Rehah bowed her head mockingly, "By all means."

"The company that was killed. Can you describe the killers? How they fought, what they used? I just can't believe anyone would be able to kill a full group of the King's Own and not lose any of their own."

"They did lose a few. But they collected the bodies of their own. It was an ambush. Your people were lured into the open field then arrows were rained down on them. Some had the Gift and were able to fight up close, but as you can see, it did little good."

A gruff voice asked, "What about the two we found?" Sir Jorrey walked over to the fire and sat down as far as he could get from the Immortals. His opinion of the Stormwings was written clearly across his face and body. A hand hovered over his sword just waiting for an excuse.

The male Stormwing tilted his head and inspected the knight before replying, "One of them was hit with several arrows. The other tasted of fear so strong he could have fed us all." The Immortal smiled flashed dirty teeth covered in dried blood. Then he was thoughtful. "It wasn't us or death at the enemies hands he feared. It was his brother. He crawled a good ways with him, before he was seriously wounded, but the attackers left them to us." Now he turned to Arie. "Something you stopped."

Arie smiled icily.

"As I said, the dead are yours, not the living."

The Immortal snorted in disgust. Arie looked over the Stormwing more carefully. He had long black hair that would have been pretty if it hadn't been knotted and matted. Almond shaped eyes that were bright green were set into a sharp angled face that was oddly attractive. But the look in his eyes; not quite malice, but something close, ruined the beauty of him.

"You weren't one of the two I stopped."

The queen snorted ineloquently.

"No, one was his brother."

Well that explained it, Arie thought.

"If my magic had ill effects I can undo them." She noticed everyone's features showed surprise. "Honestly I didn't think it would do much to you because you are Immortals. You can't die."

The male snorted and said sharply, "But we can be killed."

"My magic works differently than most."

Before the male could make another retort his queen raised steel wing to silence him. "I'll send the two to your tent once we are finished here." Her feathers clicked as she settled back into place. "Back to the business at hand."

Raoul grunted in agreement.

"Can you tell us anything about the people who attacked? What they looked like?"

Rehah shrugged.

"They didn't look like soldiers, but most of them were."

Raoul scrunched his eyebrows together in thought.

"Are you sure?"

The queen laughed.

"Trained soldiers move differently from villagers." Like the male she flashed a bloody smile. "More finesse and less fear when they kill. Not because they have to, because they want to or because it is their job." Now she was thoughtful, "There were a handful of villagers in their number, but nowhere near enough to stop your men."

Raoul ran a hand through his hair. Arie wasn't quite sure what to make of the news. It could be that Apostate had hired help, but Arie had the feeling that might not be the case. Someone hiding out can hardly bring an army with him. Can he? That was not a very comforting thought.

"But they were headed in the direction of a small village up the coast a ways. Seems they have other things in mind."

"And you didn't say anything," demanded Jorrey. Arie glanced at the young man who turned and glared at her. He whispered something under his breath before he stomped off into the camp. When he was gone Rehah said to her,

"I'd stab that one before he stabs you in the back."

Raoul was about to say something, but Arie spoke up first,

"I can defend myself. I will not harm someone under my care."

The Stormwing queen shrugged.

"It is your funeral." The two Stormwings took flight in a flurry of gleaming metal and clicking steel feathers.

Raoul sighed, "You know, I would have liked to ask them more, but I am still glad they left." He coughed and cleared his throat. For a long time they were both silent until Raoul finally asked, "So, how does a girl make friends with a flock of Immortal creatures that feast on fear and desecrate bodies?"

If anyone else had asked that question or had said it any other way Arie would have been furious. But looking into the man's eyes she saw actual curiosity. She swallowed the sharp remark that had instinctively risen.

"My mom was a healer. During the war there was a small skirmish near were we lived at the time. I was told to stay behind while my mother went."

"I take it you didn't do as you were told?"

Arie half smiled.

"No. I followed after she left. The battle took place on a high flat hill. My mom took the path up, but I scaled the cliff face. I was very good at it so I didn't take anything. When I reached the top I looked over at the battle field." She blinked back tears as she remembered the feeling of all those lives. Probably not even half of what was in the field, but enough. "The cost of that battle alone hit me hard. I lost my grip for only a moment and fell. Rehah, the queen, caught me." Arie rolled up her sleeves to show under both of her arms were a matching set of three lines permanently etched into her skin. Raoul seemed to ponder her words.

"Why did she save you? Not to be rude, but Stormwings love death. Why would they save someone?"

Arie was surprised by the question.

"You don't know?"

The man shook his head. Arie blew out a breath and thought to herself, this man is very strange.

"Stormwings love children. They protect them. Most of the time. There are some who have lost that part of themselves though."

"I had never heard of that." He smiled broadly at her after a moment. "Just goes to show you can always learn more."

Arie's stomach took that moment to growl. Raoul smothered his laughter and patted her on the shoulder.

"I'll have my standard-bearer bring you food and Neal will probably check in on you to see how you are doing."

Arie nodded and picked her way back to her tent. A few minutes later SandStorm snorted and the smell of Stormwings wafted in. Some of the horses stirred restlessly. They did not like the Immortals so close when they were tied up. Arie reached to the animal's minds soothing them and promising the Immortals wouldn't be here for long. She stood outside just as three Stormwings landed awkwardly on the flat ground. Rehah and two different males. One was similar to the male she had already met, except this one's man half looked to be in his eighties. Steel feathers were thickly covered in rust and were moving very stiffly. The second male had a similar problem, though he was even worse off. White film was forming in his eyes, partially blinding him.

Arie went to the one who was worse off. She gently grabbed his steel wings and opened them. Rust made them unbearably stiff and grating noise issued from the metal as it grudgingly moved. Once she could see all the damage she flowed her Gift into it, reversing the damage. Thankfully not too much time had passed since the magic had been worked or this would be harder. In minutes the creature looked as it once had and flew off after it flipped its tail at her. Next Arie moved to the second, doing as she did for the first. When that was done the Immortal flew away after a muttered insult.

"Your flock was checked for poison?" Arie asked her friend. The steely creature nodded.

"The talkative friend of yours cleared us." Queen Rehah stared at her silently for a long time before releasing the things clutched in her metal claws and flew off to join her flock. Arie went and carefully picked up what had been left behind. Three steel feathers. Carefully she wrapped them in a napkin she found in her pocket then stuck them in her pocket.

"Tisn't right," a voice nearby grumbled.

Arie looked around a saw a soldier leaning against a tree. He had been watching her heal the Immortals.

"Hmm?" she asked feigning ignorance.

The man grunted and pointed the way the Stormwings had flown off.

"They are monsters, ya should've left them to their fate."

"What makes you think they are monsters?"

The man looked at her incredulously.

"They grow strong off fear, and desecrate the dead. What else is that but a monster?"

"I don't know. But it seems to me plenty of kings use fear to remain in power and to grow their lands, then they send people to die for little reason. So which is more monstrous?"

The man shook his head.

"Dat's different."

Arie shrugged. It didn't seem any different to her.

"Why did it give you those feathers anyhow?" Arie put a hand over the gift.

"They will come in handy later I think." She sat down just outside of her tent until Lerant came over to her with a bowl of noodles and soup. They chatted until Neal came and fussed over her and made her drink something horrid. Then the nobleman passed a bag to Lerant and told him,

"Make sure she drinks one cup in the morning for two days." Then he turned and walked away before either of them could say anything.


	18. Chapter 18

The next morning they were on the move early. The bodies of the fallen had been collected and were being sent to ahead to Port Legann to be properly treated before they would be buried. With them was their names and letters Raoul had stayed up all night writing to their families informing that that their loved ones had gone to the Dark God. A task Arie did not envy.

Arie had just finished packing her tent and putting it on NightSky's saddle when Lerant came over carrying a steaming cup.

"As ordered." He held it out to her. She glowered at him.

"What would it take to get you to dump that in a bush?"

Lerant looked affronted by the very suggestion.

"You need to stay healthy, you're important-."

Arie held up a hand to stop him and took the cup. Being a healer's daughter meant she knew how bad the stuff could be and didn't fight it, but that didn't mean she liked it. She took a deep breath before pinching her nose, and downed the drink quickly. It burned its way down and tasted awful, but she did feel stronger. She shuddered at the after taste that was left on her tongue.

"I'll remember this when you're sick."

Lerant grinned.

"Guess it's good I don't get sick often."

Arie growled at him and he laughed. She suspected that wasn't something he did a lot of outside the King's Own; if what she had seen yesterday was anything to go by. Lerant lingered long enough to help finish packing the last bag to SandStorm's saddle.

"Are you riding up with my Lord," he inquired after they were done. Arie glanced at him suspiciously.

"Why do you ask?"

He shrugged, trying too hard to make the action look causal. "Just wondering."

"Uh-huh." She didn't believe a word of it, but she told him anyway. "Yes, though I probably won't be much in the way of company, I have something I need to do."

He looked like he wanted to ask but a gruff voice called for everyone to form up. Regretfully he said he would see her in train. As he moved off Twitchy took that moment to appear, he teacher was astride the gray pony.

"Fer a noble he's not so bad. You could do worse."

Arie glanced at her mentor curiously.

With a smile he added, "You have your mother's charm, don't ya?"

Horror suddenly crossed her face. Her mother had made her a charm to prevent pregnancy shortly before she had passed away.

"Have you been in the cider? I'm not laying with him or anyone," she hissed under her breath. "He's a friend." Blush was already creeping all the way across her face and down her neck. Twitchy just kept smiling in that infuriating way he had. For the Goddess's sake, people were relying on her, she couldn't waste her time on canoodling! However much she might want to. Quickly she shoved that particular thought in box deep in her mind.

"Whatever you say, my Lady." It was said with that knowing mocking smile that made Arie want to punch him, but that would only end with more embarrassment. She struggled with her temper as her mentor urged his pony forward. She gave him a rude gestured which only made him bark out a laugh, "That's my lass."

Still beat red, Arie pulled herself into SandStorm's saddle grumbling about drunk old men. Her friend was oddly silently on the matter which was odd. Normally he had some quip to add. Before she could ask Kel came riding up.

"You alright? You look a little red."

Arie nodded mutely and tried to hide her face.

"Are you sure? If something's wrong I can go get Neal." The other woman turned her horse to do just that. Instinct took over and Arie's hand shot out and grabbed the older woman's arm to stop her. Arie realized her mistake almost instantly. Kel's muscles flexed under her grip and if the other girl had acted on instinct, Arie knew she would have been unseated very quickly. Mercifully the lady knight was able to control the knee jerk reaction to break her hold and send her flying. Arie let go and mumbled an apology.

"I'm sorry, but I'm fine, really."

Peachblossom's ears were laid back and Arie realized the horse was going to bite her if she wasn't careful. She inclined her head to the horse as well.

"Forgive me, I forget my manners sometimes. I'd appreciate not being bitten." Peachblossom and Kel shared a look that seemed to say,

 _At least she's polite._ The horse snorted and then turned forward.

"Please don't call Neal over, it really is nothing."

Kel looked her over intently and shrugged,

"I won't, but if you don't mind me saying, it doesn't look like nothing."

Arie sighed and looked over the trees as they continued to ride, then she looked back at the young knight. Looking into the other girl's eyes she felt Kel was an honest soul, and maybe she could give her advice. So she told her about what her friend had said to her. The other woman considered what she said, though her expression as usual gave nothing away. Finally she asked,

"Do you like him?"

Blush skirted across Arie's cheeks again and she nodded mutely. Kel reached over and patted her on the back reassuringly.

"My advice then, wear the charm. If nothing comes of it, you've lost nothing, but I assume you have no desire to become pregnant just yet?"

"No," Arie said sharply. She probably would never be able to have children, too risky considering too few people understood the difference between her Gift and necromancy. Even she had a hard time understanding it. Arie was so lost in thought that she didn't realize time had passed until Kel spoke again.

"Would you like to join me in the morning? I need a partner to practice throws with, and Neal won't get up that early."

"Of course not," came Neal's indignant response from just a little ways up. "I got enough of being woken up at the crack of dawn when we were pages and squires. I'm not going back to that if I don't have to. Unlike some people, I'm not insane."

Kel smiled and leaned over to whisper, "He says that, but he gave up a cushiony place at the university to become a knight."

Arie coughed into her hand and Neal swung round in his saddle to glare at them. Kel's expression was completely smooth and Arie just barely managed to keep the same expression. Neal scowled at them before turning back around.

"So do you want to?"

Arie nodded her agreement.

Once they were settled into the ride Arie pulled out the feathers Queen Rehah had given her. She then took a bottle of glue out of one of the compartments and carefully held between her leg and the saddle. Next she pulled a shaft from the quiver strung to the back of Sandstorm's saddle. 

_SandStorm, I need the smoothest ride you can give._

 _Be careful playing with gifts from an Immortal,_ her friend warned, but he did as she asked. Carefully as possible Arie cut away the old feathers then glued the Stormwing feathers in their place. Once that was done she put away the remaining feather. Kel was watching the whole process with rapt attention.

"Do Stormwing feathers do something that regular feathers don't?"

Arie glanced around at the people riding close to her, but they were all talking and looking elsewhere. Arie nodded and whispered,

"The crows taught me. They are mage killers."

Kel blinked and glanced at Neal.

"They can even go through magical barriers."

"And you think you'll need that?"

Arie's face hardened.

"Yes. The man responsible for this will not be standing before a magistrate if I have anything to say on the matter."

The look in the lady knight's eyes was very telling to Arie. She remembered hearing that it was Kel that had killed the hated mage who had created the killing devices. Maybe she sympathized with Arie and that's why she did what she did next. From in her pack she withdrew a gold feather. Arie stared in wonder at it, because she knew exactly what it was. A griffon feather. Kel handed her the feather.

"Where did you get this?"

Arie took it with reverence.

"I very foolishly stuck my hand in a bag that held a baby griffon."

Arie's eyes flew wide. The feather she was holding was from an adult not a baby.

"How did you survive?" Arie could clearly see she had survived and, she survived relatively unscathed.

"Daine was able to find his parents and explain the situation."

Arie blew out a breath. Then she took her boot knife out and poked a hole in the base of the feather. Next she pulled a small sewing kit that George had apparently snuck into her bag with a few other handy things. She pulled some thread out and threaded it through the hole she had just made. Then she tied the feather into her hair.

"Thank you."

Kel waved off her thanks.

"I was given a whole bag full of them. And they have come in handy."

"I bet."

They rode on for another few hours before there was a screech over head. Arie looked up and saw a red tailed hawk. She smiled recognizing the coloring of the bird. "Sun." The bird spiraled down and Arie held up an arm and wrapped her cloak around it. Talons dug into the cloth and the bird ran his beak through her hair.

 _It is you._ He preened her hair more and pulled at the blue green strands. The bird was fascinated by the color.

 _Yes, is everyone alright?_

 _Yes._ He rubbed his head against hers like a cat might.

 _Can you let everyone know we are friends?_

The bird sighed then flapped and took off. SandStorm grunted.

 _He gets stranger with each meeting._

Arie laughed and patted her friends neck.

 _Don't be jealous._

He threw his head and gave Arie the look. She smiled and patted his neck again. Soon they came to a clearing. Tents and make shift houses were clustered just inside the trees. A few look out stands were hobbled together in several different trees. Her home had grown since she had last seen it. A blast of a horn let everyone know they were friendly. Several riders came out to greet the group. Half of them were women. Arie urged SandStorm forward and met the group.

"Arie," the oldest man called. He had bow that was strung in his hand. Long dark hair was tussled and tied behind his head. Mac, Meich's father was thinner than she remembered. "You have brought help and just in time." He pointed off to the right where you could see the sea and Sea King. A lot of the building were smoldering ruins. Most of the boats that had once been at the docks were gone.

"When did this happen?"

Mac shrugged.

"Early this morning. Around dawn we think. No one saw the fires until it was too late."

"How is everyone? Has anyone gone to check?"

Mac shook his head no.

"We were waiting for you and help to arrive."

It looked like they would have their work cut out for them.


	19. Chapter 19

Arie quickly introduced Raoul and Flyn to the leaders of her band. Then she went to changed into the special gear that her and Zev had been working on. They were essentially winter clothes. Thick over coats with long sleeves, gloves, think riding pants, and sturdy boots. This would protect them from being contaminated by blood when they were working on an injured person.

When her and Zev got back from changing, she found Raoul's group of the King's Own was already dressed similarly. One the men explained that they had been told to bring winter clothes with. Arie shrugged and thought to herself, it did mean more people to help the search. The Rider's group, she found out would stay behind and help protect the villagers in case of attack while the rest were looking for survivors.

Zev and Arie lead the way down. The smell of smoke filled the air and burned their eyes. Arie griped Zev's shoulder as she felt the wash of death. There would be few survivors, if any. Soon they came upon the gate. It was smashed to pieces, but not from the outside like you would expect with an attack, the great doors were battered on the inside. Several people lay on the ground with arrows in them. They had tried to prevent those who were infected from leaving. Arie could feel the life in some while others were already long gone. Arie directed Zev to the three living people. One was a thickly built woman with powerful arms and an arrow punched through her collar bone. The blacksmith. Lynn, she remembered. Next to her lay her eldest son, Lark. He had been named after the bird because even as a child he could sing the birds out of the trees. Neither of them were infected. She had tried to get them to come with, but old woman had stubbornly refused to leave the home she had built for herself, and the few people there not infected could count on her to protect them. Arie swallowed her grief as she saw the blacksmith's daughter, Angie, and youngest son, Ray, were dead. They must have been hiding in the guard house and had been dragged out. She could see marks where the girl had fought back. The girl's dress had been pulled up around her waist. Anger burned the grief away and she pulled the girl's skirts down.

"Lynn and Lark are clean, get them help."

How was she going to tell Lynn of Angie and Ray's death, Arie wondered. She viciously shoved that thought down. They could mourn for the dead after the living were taken care of. A hand on her shoulder made her turn. It was Kel and there was a fire in her eyes.

"What do you want us to do?"

Arie took a deep breath to calm her anger then she spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Fan out and search for survivors. Don't touch any blood or open wounds. Drink nothing, and eat nothing here. Leave the livestock if there are any. Move in groups of three or more. Be cautious even when dealing with survivors. Have a mage check them if they are walking around."

There were nods from everyone.

"Once we have checked everything then we will collect the dead. Not before." She looked at the few people who were from her band. They knew the rules, but seeing a loved one dead could make them forget their caution. "If a building is unsafe call me or Neal to check it out."

Arie turned her back on the group and went to the first building. Most of the outside was scorched, but the inside was relatively untouched by the flames. A storm must have kicked up and put the fire out before it completely engulfed everything. Inside Arie found everything had been tipped over and anything of value was stripped and taken. Not even food had been left behind. Mercifully there was no one here; living or dead. Arie checked the next level and found it much the same state as the lower half. There were a few musty blankets that had survived. Arie grabbed those and brought them outside.

Slowly they worked their way in. Every house had been ransacked, but the burning seemed to have been an accident for the most part. It looked like the fire was started at the Miller's house. Arie's blood went cold as she approached the building. The top floor and the roof was completely gone. Then she noticed the windows had been barred. She broke into a run for the scorched door, slamming her shoulder against it and almost bringing down the entire rest of the building in the process. She could feel the death here.

When the door shuddered and gave way she saw them. The Miller and his family huddled together. Their bodies charred and crumbling. This time she couldn't stop the tears that flowed over her cheeks as she dropped to her knees. A sound tore up her throat that was reminiscent of a wild animal. She wasn't sure how long she sat there before Neal came and put a hand on her.

"Tim, Marcy, Noel, Jay," Arie shuddered over the youngest girl's name and sobbed even harder. She had only been three years old. Little Jay had been the first child she had helped to deliver and she had promised she'd come back and play with her. Arie looked to Marcy, who was clinging to her two daughters, she was supposed to have helped deliver the baby that was to come in a month's time. "Tim was the one feeding us information about the spread of the poison and everyone's movements. He said it would look suspicious if he sent his family away." Arie clenched her fists and banged them against the charred floor. "Jay was three!" She took a deep shuddering breath. "Her sister was five. Marcy was pregnant with their third child. She was so happy."

"It could have been an accident."

Arie snarled at him and a distant part of her mind knew it was a feral sounding noise, but she couldn't help it. Kindness had been in short supply for a good part of her life, but this family had given it freely and without reserve. They did not deserve this.

"The windows were barred. They burned them alive."

Neal helped her up.

"Maybe, but right now there are people who need you Arie. You can do nothing for them now."

Arie glanced back at the bodies.

"I can't leave them here."

"I will take care of them once the living are cared for," he gently reminded her of her own words. "For now, go help Zev."

Arie might have refused, but she saw a look in Neal's eyes she had never seen, pure seething rage. He was just as upset by this as she was, and he didn't even know them. Numbly Arie went back towards the main gate, she was about halfway there when something snagged her attention. A voice. Looking around she caught sight of Lerant and a young girl. She was about ten or twelve and dressed in breaches and a soot covered tunic that was too big for her. The girl had Lerant's hand and was asking him to come help her little brother. Arie felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up on end. The little girl; Jess, didn't have a little brother and there was blood dripping down her hand.

"Lerant," Arie shouted the warning.

The young man and the girl turned to look at her at the same time. In his eyes was surprise, in the young girl's was hatred that was far older than her. Swiftly the girl turned to Lerant and tried to rake her fingernails across his face. The charm Arie gave him flared to life. A blinding flash of blue green light pulsed between them and snaked down the girl's arm. She screamed in pain and Arie rushed forward. Her Gift wrapped around Jess's tiny little body holding her still. Arie pulled her Gift to her eyes even knowing what she would find. Blackness completely enveloped Jess. No, Arie screamed at herself, she would not lose another child to this. Not now, not ever again. Arie placed both hands on the girl's forehead and began to draw out the poison. Jess's screams reverberated through her entire being, yet she shut them out. She just needed something, anything of the little girl she used to be.

Memories rushed past, she had scratched a few people of the King's Own using the same trick she had pulled on Lerant. Arie moved past that. She saw the young girl torture a dying bird, and stealing food from the blind widow; Tara, who lived a few streets down. On and on the memories went until she found something alien, something evil rooted in Jess's mind. Arie lashed at it with her Gift. A voice screeched,

"I see you Arie Annasri, and I have had enough of your meddling."

A sickly gray Gift reached out to her. Arie snarled and raised a barrier of blue green fire to block his spell.

"As I see you Ark."

Surprise echoed from the essences. So it really was him.

"And if it is the last thing I do, I will wipe your stain and this plague from existence."

The alien presence cackled in way that sent shivers down her spine.

"Figures you wouldn't understand."

Arie continued to chip away at the blackness that had swallowed Jess.

"The girl is a puppet. Long gone."

"No!"Arie snarled. Just then she found it. A spark. A memory of Jess playing with her father on his fishing boat. Then Arie heard crying. She followed it until she found the huddled child amidst the blackness. Jess turned and when she saw Arie she sobbed,

"I'm sorry! I didn't- I don't wanna-. Help me Arie!"

Arie wrapped her Gift around the girl's presence then burned away the rest of the blackness. Ark screamed a denial, but soon he was nothing more than memory in the girl's mind. A nightmare. Arie pulled her mind and Gift from Jess's mind and body. For a long time Arie just sat there holding the little girl as she clung to her and sobbed. Arie sucked in a deep breath and patted the girl's hair soothing her until she cried herself to sleep. Dizziness washed over Arie and she struggled to stay sitting upright, but warm hands caught her before she could slump sideways.

"I gottcha," Lerant said. Arie took a deep breath, but her head ached something fierce.

"Good. Get the others. She infected a few of the King's Own."

Now it was Neal who spoke.

"We know. We've already checked over everyone and gotten them cleaned of any poison."

Arie was about to ask when he had done this when she realized night had fallen. Lerant had one hand under her elbow, helped her up, and steered her towards a chair someone had brought out of one of the houses.

"Jess kept babbling about the people she infected while you were working on her. Another voice was fighting you. He was throwing insults at you and spells. His Gift kept everyone else back until you were able to break through it. What happened in there?"

Arie took a deep shuddering breath.

"I think I tapped into my father's power to free Jess from being a puppet." She had never been able to cleanse a puppet before. They either killed themselves or she killed them in process of trying to save them. But it was possible that children mended better than adults. Either way, she could think about it another time. Right then her hands started to shake uncontrollably and Neal offered her a glass of water. She looked at it suspiciously. He smiled at her.

"Don't worry. It came from your people, and I did double check it."

Lerant took the cup from Neal and glared at him. Then he held it to her lips so she could drink without spilling. Arie gave him a grateful look. It wasn't until the cool liquid poured down her throat she realized how parched she was. She drank the whole thing quickly. Then Neal came over and put his hands on her forehead.

"Your burning up."

Arie laughed weakly. "Not surprising."

"I'm going to send you to sleep."

Arie nodded. His Gift was already settling around her, but groggily she fought it.

"Jess first."

"Arie." Both men said, but she shook her head no and repeated,

"Jess first."

Neal growled, "Fine, now rest." His Gift practically smothered her now, but she fell willingly into blissful sleep; one that was mercifully without dreams.


	20. Chapter 20

She woke sometime later, soaked in her own sweat, her eyes could barely open they were so heavy, and everything in her body felt like it was on fire. Neal and Zev were crouched over her working with their Gifts. Arie opened her mouth to ask what was happening when fire seemed to scorch her throat and very little in way of sound came out. Zev finally noticed she was awake and aware,

"Arie you have to let go of the power, it is killing you." Zev looked afraid, not something Arie saw that often.

What power Arie tired to ask. But she was already drifting back to sleep. But she heard another voice demand,

"Can't you do something? She's dying!" Lerant, Arie realized was also in the tent. That thought died as her mind drifted away. For a while she just drifted not really sure where she was until a voice said,

"Your child is going to die." It was an old woman's voice. "Not even a god born can take your power without cost. She's only half."

There was no reply, but it seemed the old woman hadn't really expected one. She sighed. The next thing Arie knew she was standing beside the old woman. Arie studied her and noted her body was bent so that she needed a knobby cane to keep from falling over. A grin spread across her wrinkled face when she saw Arie, flashing the few teeth she had. Lastly the eye patch completed the look. Beside her was a cloaked figure, the Dark God.

"Little sister," the Graveyard Hag addressed her.

Arie bowed just enough to be respectful and tried to hide her smile. Her half sister had come to see her not long after her mother had passed away, to 'check' in on her. But Arie had very much enjoyed learning to throw dice from the goddess. Arie now turned to the Dark God and bowed deeply.

"Father."

The Dark God remained silent, which didn't surprise Arie too much, even the few times he had shown up he hadn't spoken.

"How is mother?"

Her half sister nudged her. "You know he can't tell you tha-."

A deep voice answered, "She misses you."

Arie blinked, she hadn't expected him to answer much less tell her the truth, and it could only be the truth. Again she bowed to her father.

"Thank you."

The Graveyard Hag cackled, "Guess you can bend the rules."

The Dark God turned to his elder daughter. Arie could feel him give her sister a look. She merely cackled and waved him off.

"If you have something to give her, do so now."

Arie was about to ask why then her chest heaved painfully. Her sister patted her on the shoulder.

"Can't stay dead while you are alive too long."

Arie's eyes widened. "How am I-?"

Her father held up a hand to silence her. Then he grabbed a the hem of his cloak sleeve and ripped a strip of the fabric. Quickly he wrapped the strip three times around Arie's left wrist and put the two ends together. They fused together making a strange bracelet. Arie stared at the thing; her chest had stopped heaving.

"That should protect you my child." Then he turned and walked away, vanishing.

"Wait!" Arie called after him. Her sister chuckled beside her.

"He's already gone."

Arie gently touched the fabric. It felt like wool, but she could feel magic in it making up its very existence.

"Now I think it's time you went back. That young man of yours is getting worried." She winked at Arie. "I expect an introduction."

Arie snorted.

"Not on your life." she said firmly. The Graveyard Hag cackled an swatted Arie with her cane.

"You've got fire. That might get you in trouble soon."

Arie grunted she had more important things to worry about. Like how she got here or what was going on.

"What is going on?"

Her sister looked the way her father had gone.

"You said something about me taking his power, how is that even possible?"

Her sister shrugged, "I don't-."

"Horse dung. You know something." She added as an afterthought, "You're too smart not to know something."

Her sister turned and eyed her with her single eye. A crooked grin spreading up her face.

"Flattery Arie?"

Arie kept her gaze locked on her one free eye. The Graveyard Hag chuckled,

"Not the only one who's smart." She sighed, "We don't know how you are doing it." She raised her cane smacked Arie's forehead when she opened her mouth to protest. "He knows only that you are taking his power." She pointed her cane at the dark ribbon now wrapped around her wrist. "It won't stop you from taking his power, just slow it down." She eyed Arie and waved her cane close to Arie's nose. "Heed it's warning. "I won't pull you back a third time." Her older sister looked at the ribbon warily. "It will probably do other unpleasant things, things from him tend to do just that." She suddenly cackled. "Like me and you."

Arie was about to give her a rude gesture when she thought about what her sister said.

"What aren't you telling me?"

The goddess looked down at the ground not quite guilty, but something close.

"Arie-."

"Tell me." There was silence between them for a long time, but Arie didn't ask again. Either her sister would or would not tell her, and no force on the earth would make her do so any sooner than she choose to.

"Those that have died from this can't move on, not those infected and not those who die at the hands of the infected. Not even his," she scoffed. "creatures can hold their souls."

Arie's eyes widened. "But the pigeons-."

"Not even they can, we don't know why, it just is." She glanced around. "Time to go."

Before Arie could say anything else her sister's cane knocked her across the head. Arie sat up in her tent and gripped her throbbing head. She sat there and swore for a few minutes before she realized she had company. Jess sat in the corner of the tent trying to look small. Her lower lip quivered and she looked like she was going to break into tears.

"I'm sorry," she said in a small voice. "I-"

Arie pulled the little girl into her lap and gently rocked her back and forth.

"It's okay sweetheart, it's okay." Arie could feel the tears falling on her chest. "I swear I won't let him do that to you again."

Little arms clung to her and squeezed her with all their might. "I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't-."

"Hush little one. I know, I know you didn't want to do any of it. You are safe now, I swear it."

Jess sniffled and wiped her puffy red eyes with soot covered hands. Arie reached down to grab the hem of her tunic only to discover she was wearing only her breast binding. So she grabbed the edge of her blanket and wiped away the little one's tears away. Once Jess had calmed down Arie asked,

"How long have I been asleep little one?"

Jess blinked and thought about it. "One night. Just like me."

Arie wondered, only a night? Before she could ask if Jess was sure the tent flap opened. Neal entered. He looked ragged, tired, and thinner. Him and Zev must be working over time. He blinked when he looked at them, as if he couldn't believe his eyes,

"Mithros, don't scare us like that!"

Arie cracked a smile.

"I'll do my best." She leaned forward and adjusted Jess so she would sit more comfortably on her lap and also cover her body better. "What happened?"

Neal scrubbed a hand through his hair. "You passed out Arie." He shrugged. "You showed all the symptoms of using power that was beyond you. But-." He paused and Arie could see he was very confused by what he said. He was muttering to himself about her symptoms.

"But," Arie asked when it was clear Neal was going to answer, he was so lost in his own thoughts.

"It was only your Gift that you used and you never did anything that you hadn't already done."

Arie wouldn't correct him in the last part. No one needed to know Jess had been a puppet. Though she had the sinking feeling that she would have to be honest about certain things very soon. The ribbon around her wrist seemed oddly heavy. A reminder that her father was watching her.

"Well I don't think you'll have to worry about it a second time."

Neal looked at her like he couldn't believe what she was saying. "We have no way of knowing that." he burst out.

Arie sighed inwardly and the ribbon warmed against her skin. Grudgingly she lifted her arm that held the piece of her father's cloak.

"I was given a token. It will warn me when I approach a similar problem."

Neal eyed the ribbon curiously and reached out to touch it. "Who gave it to you?" he asked taking her hand in his and turning to her wrist so he could get a better look at it. He was so distracted with studying the strip of cloth Arie wondered if he even hear her response.

"The Dark God."

Neal's fingers froze just before the touching the ribbon. Carefully he let go of her hand and took back his own. He eyed Arie as if she might be crazy.

"Did you just say-?"

"Yes." Arie sat there and watched as the young man's brain fought to understand what she had told him. She could feel his Gift color the air between them and warmed against her skin. A warning that Neal needed to stop poking and prodding the magic in the ribbon. He took a deep breath before demanding,

"Any other surprises you plan on springing on me?"

Arie laughed, she couldn't help it, the look on his face was priceless. Jess hid her face against Arie's chest, but she could feel the small child laughing right along with her. Good, Arie thought, she could use a distraction from everything she had been through. Neal glared at them both.

"You're laughing now, but I'm the one who makes your medicine."

Jess stopped laughing instantly and looked back at Neal horrified. Arie did her best to smother her laughter but she couldn't. He growled,

"I hope he bites you."

Arie stopped laughing long enough to ask, "What are you talking about?"

A smile still pulled at her lips, but now Neal smiled smugly, "Your horse."

That wiped the smile off Arie's face. She knew SandStorm would be furious with her.

"You stopped breathing and he went berserk. None of the people here would interfere with your horse. Something about him being too smart. Lerant finally managed to calm him down while I was working on you, I think he might still be with your horse."

Arie read something in Neal's expression that he wasn't saying. "You kicked him out." She had remembered hearing Lerant's voice for a little bit. Neal snorted,

"Kel grabbed him by the scruff before I could kick him out. Idiot wouldn't stop hovering and demanding I do something." Neal muttered something under his breath that Arie didn't quite catch.

Arie leaned over Jess and so she could look her in the eyes.

"Will you let Neal look you over again? I have to go check SandStorm."

The little girl nodded and crawled out of Arie's lap.

"No you can't-."

Arie gave him a look.

"You can try and stop me, I'll call Zev in here to treat your injuries."

Neal gave her a sour look.

"Fine," he growled, "See if I-," he was cut off when Arie threw the blankets off her to reveal she was just in her underwear. He quickly covered his eyes and pointed to the far corner of the tent. "Clothes are over there."

Arie gratefully went over to the pile and pulled on her clothes.

"Weren't you treating me? You've clearly already seen me as I am." She could see the blush across his face.

"I am a happily married man, and this is very different."

Arie snorted. Once she was dressed she patted him on the shoulder.

"You're a good man. Even if you are a noble."

He gave her another attempt at a sour look when he dropped his hands. Slightly red cheeks ruined the look, Arie noted.

"Go before I change my mind and make you stay in bed."

Arie chuckled and opened the flap of the tent. Outside the air was cool. The sun hadn't risen yet, but the beginnings of dawn were moving across the distant horizon. Everything was eerily still, like the calm before a storm. She turned to look at Sea King and nearly gasped. Gathered not far from her tent was a crowd. They were mostly insubstantial beings. Wisps that vaguely resembled humans. Only their faces were clear. Mand the farm hand, the widow Tara, Angie and Ray the blacksmith's two children, the Miller and his family, the tavern owner, the woodsman, and his family, the soldiers Arie found in the field, and so many others. Their names whispered across her mind. She bit her lip and locked her knees together. This was the cost of her pride.

"I'm sorry." Tears started in her eyes. It was the Miller and his wife who moved toward her. Their ghosts hugged her. It was Marcy who spoke, her voice distant like she was hearing it from far away.

"This is not your fault child. We choose our path. Now you must choose yours."

Arie swiped the tears from her eyes and looked to Marcy and Tim. They had offered many times to let her stay in their home. Their kindness had been a brightness when Arie's mother had died and now she knew she would do whatever she could to help them move on.

"I swear, I'll stop him."

Marcy and Tim nodded.

"Then we will help you, daughter of the Dark God."


	21. Chapter 21

Arie swallowed, they knew. She wondered if death had given them that knowledge or if they figured it out on their own.

"How-?"

Marcy shook her head.

"Go Arie, there is still much work to be done."

Arie nodded numbly and managed to make her legs obey her and walk towards the stable. The door was already open so she slipped right in. The air smelled of hay, horses, and dung, but Arie didn't mind. She moved towards the back of small barn where she could hear a male voice whispering. As she came closer she could make out what was being said,

"She'll be alright, your rider is strong."

SandStorm put his head out of the stall his ears perked up listening. When he saw her approach he let out was the equivalent of sigh of relief for a horse.

 _You are going to be the death of me little one._

 _I'm sorry,_ she replied honestly to her horse. He looked her over and noticed the ribbon tied to her wrist.

 _At least your sire is smartening up._

This time when Arie spoke she spoke out loud so the person in the stall wouldn't be frighten. "You shouldn't make promises you aren't sure you can keep. Animals don't take well to it."

A head poked out beside SandStorm. Lerant had dark circles under his eyes, clearly he hadn't slept at all through the night. His hair was tangled and from what little Arie could see of his shirt he was covered in horse hair. As if he had been grooming SandStorm to help keep both of them calm.

"You're awake." He was over the stall door and arms reaching for her before even he realized what he was doing. He paused his cheeks flushed red as he tried to hide his hands in his pockets. "I-."

Arie didn't think simply leaned forward and kissed him on his cheek.

"Thank you."

He opened his mouth then closed it then opened it again and asked, "For what?"

"For taking care of my family." She moved passed him and opened the stall to allow SandStorm to leave. Her horse butted his head against her chest, not with enough force to knock her over. He nuzzled and nosed her, reassuring himself that she was there and in on piece. Once that was done he nipped her nose. Arie was braced for it but it still hurt and she growled at him.

 _I warned you,_ he told her smugly then he walked across to the other stall where NightSky was eating limp hay. She ignored SandStorm until Arie came in beside her, checking her coat, flanks, and hooves. Only once Arie was done did she turn to SandStorm and say,

 _Told you boy._ The pony was all sauce and not the least bit intimidated by SandStorm.

 _Nag,_ her friend bit back. Arie put a hand on both of them. They looked at her forgetting their spat.

 _Thank you, both of you._ She let go of them and opened the gate to let NightSky out. "Behave, both of you. Go have look around, see what your horse senses tell you that my human senses missed." Arie had a strange feeling that she couldn't shake and she didn't like it.

Both horses looked at her curiously then they made their way out of the stable. Arie knew they would speak to the other animals and watch the humans. She had slept long enough, now it was time to work. To Lerant she asked,

"Where is everyone? It looked like most of the soldiers weren't here."

He nodded.

"Kel took a group to track down those who left the town." His fists curled into a tight ball. He had been torn, worried about her and wanting to go hunt down those responsible for his fellow King's Own that had been killed. "They will report back tonight."

"Is Raoul here?"

"He's in his tent with Flyn. They are looking through documents that were still intact."

Arie hurried off towards where the King's Own had set up tents. She could see the biggest tent even from the stable. That was where they would be meeting. Striding towards it she saw the ghosts lingering by a long building that acted as the make shift hospital. Watching over family. Arie sucked in a deep breath. She would have to speak with their living relatives. Soon. Pushing those thoughts aside she wove her way through the tents until she came to the command tent, making her presence known before she entered. When she pulled back the flap Raoul looked relieved,

"Goddess bless! You're alright."

Arie nodded and looked at the others that were present. One was a ragged looking man. He wore plain clothes that were dirty, probably from traveling quickly. Exhaustion was pulling at his features and making his shoulders droop like a flower that hadn't had enough water. Flyn was pouring a glass of water to give to him. Two other men were standing beside Raoul, one dressed in King's Own uniform, the other in the leathers of the Riders Company. And lastly a crow perched on the table eyeing a shiny pen that lay not far from Raoul.

"I heard you were looking though the documents left over from the town."

Raoul's face darkened, subtly he tried to position himself between Arie and a part of the table that held old parchment with burnt edges. That did not bode well, she thought to herself.

"Yes," he said carefully.

Arie's gaze shifted to the crow. Without even asking the bird squawked and flapped his wings sending paper flying about the tent. Including the burnt pages. Raoul and Flynn swore, the other two soldiers didn't interfere as Arie, Flyn, and Raoul picked up the fly away pages. The pages that Arie picked up she scanned. A cold fire lit in her heart. The mayor, it seemed not only had known about the poison, but he had allowed it to be added to the community well. She handed the pages to Raoul who looked at her guiltily.

"He allowed this." It wasn't a question. No one mistook it as one.

"He was paid in gold to allow it and was told how he could avoid be infected. We think he was also reporting to the captain of the ship. Though we can't find any proof." He put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

She looked up into the noble man's face. He meant it, he was sorry, even angry that this had happened.

"H-," the sound of horses and footsteps stopped her from saying anything else. Raoul ran to the tent entrance with Arie on his heels. They looked at the returning soldiers many of whom were wounded. Some of the horses limped and there were many who were sharing mounts. More Ghosts trailed silently behind them. No, Arie wanted to scream. Kel was shouting orders to those not injured to take those who were to the infirmary. Neal was already striding towards them. Raoul made his way over to Kel. The two of them spoke while Arie went to a man astride a white a black gelding. He was holding a woman in Rider's leather, blood seeped from a nasty looking head wound, and what looked like a broken arrow was sticking out of her calf. Red streams were painted down horse's side and the man's leg.

"Goddess," the man swore as the woman groaned in pain. He saw Arie moving towards them and there was relief in his eyes. "Can you save her?"

Arie saw a desperation that spoke of more than friendship. She grabbed the reigns and lead them both towards the infirmary.

"I'll know when I get a better look at her." She scanned the man, but she couldn't see an injury. He was pale with rust colored hair and a short beard. The woman he held was dark skinned and had ebony hair that reminiscent of black silk. "Do you have any open wounds, did you drink anything?"

He shook his head no. Arie halted the horse just outside the infirmary.

"As gently as you can, I want you to move her other leg to my side."

The man did as he was told. The woman hissed in pain. Her beautiful face twisted in the throes of pain.

"Good," Arie reached up and put one arm under the woman's knees. "Now lift her up and gently lower her into my arms."

The man did so, hesitating only ever so slightly. Once the woman's weight was fully in her arms, Arie did her best to move quickly without bumping the wound in her leg. She checked to woman for poison. Faint traces of it lingered in wound around the arrowhead. Bastards, Arie thought viciously at the people responsible. She found a free mat and put her patient down on it. Calling the man to stand with her.

Lerant appeared beside her with a smock, gloves, and her medical bag from SandStorm's saddle. She could have kissed him again. But her patient moaned, sweat dotting her forehead.

"My lady?" Arie asked, "I know it's hard, but you need to answer my questions," she slipped her hand into the woman's hand. "Squeeze my hand twice if you understand."

The woman's eyes opened and couldn't quite focus, but two light squeezes came.

"Good. Squeeze once for no, twice for yes, and crush my hand if it hurts too much. Do you understand?"

Two squeezes followed by her hand being squished.

"Do you feel dizzy?"

One squeeze.

"Do you feel sick to your stomach?"

Again one squeeze. Arie breathed a sigh of relief. At least they hadn't gotten her head to hard then. Her head would have to wait then, She grabbed the medical bag which had been added to thanks to Duke Braid. Taking out several implements she told the woman,

"This is going to hurt, there's nothing I can do about that until the arrow is out." She looked to the man taking his hand and making him hold the hand that she had originally been holding. "Lerant, I need you to hold her leg, she's going to wanna pull away but you cannot let her, it will only cause more damage."

He nodded and moved around to the other side firmly holding the wounded leg down. She began the slow process of extracting the arrow. The thing was barbed making her curse the gods and the person who thought to invent such a horrible thing. Finally all the pieces were removed and put into a metal bowl.

"Don't touch it," Arie warned Lerant. "It was poisoned." Then she began mending the torn and ragged flesh, knitting it back together. Next she moved to the head wound and asked the same questions after it was healed; thankfully the answers remained the same. No brain bleeding. Lastly the poison was purged. Mercifully it hadn't taken a hold of her.

Arie spent the rest of the day moving from person to person, healing, mending, consoling. By the time night had fallen again her power was dwindling down to the dregs. But she moved to the big woman who sat up in the back corner of the infirmary. Two ghosts hovering beside her. The woman saw Arie approach. There was a resigned look in her face. Angie and Ray hovered beside her.

"Tell her it wasn't her fault, and that we used what she taught us. She would have been proud of Ray, he fought like a wildcat. And that we love her."

Arie knelt beside the woman and tears sprung in her eyes,

"My baby's are gone."

Arie swallowed hard and nodded.

"Angie and Ray say they love you."

Lynn sobbed, "I'm so sorry, I should hav-."

"No, they say this was not your fault. And that you would be proud of how they fought back."

"Get em who did this." Her big hand shot out and grabbed Arie's wrist. "Swear it."

Arie's throat was dry. She swallowed and reached into her belt for a knife. Lynn let go of her arm, and Arie sliced the knife across her palm.

"I swear to the Dark God, the Goddess, and Mithros, I will do whatever is my power to stop this and the one responsible for this will meet the Dark God."

Three bright red drops dripped on the ground and were soaked up in the ground. Lynn nodded satisfied. The ribbon warmed against her skin. Her father knew. Arie stood up an instantly felt dizzy, a hand under her elbow kept her steady. Lerant. He lead her away and told her in all seriousness,

"Neal has informed me that I need to keep you out of here. He can handle the rest of the minor injuries, he also said if you refused to leave I was within my rights to throw you over my shoulder and escort you out that way."

Arie laughed weakly.

"That sounds like a threat, sir."

He shrugged completely unrepentant.

After a moment she said, "The charm you wear was originally made to protect women from men, and it would affect a man's manhood."

"Now that; my lady, is threat. I know you wouldn't threaten someone sent do to what a healer asked."

Arie growled at him. Of course he would hide behind that, not that she really would magik his manhood off. There were far better things to-, she stopped that thought in its tracks and shoved it into a small box at the back of her mind. They turned around a corner and Lerant nearly walked her into Kel.

"Sorry about that. My lord is looking for you."

She looked between them and though as usual her face was expressionless, Arie could feel amusement in her. She bit her tongue against the denial. They hadn't done anything. Yet. She swatted that thought away. But they changed directions and started for the command tent. There were even more people there than there was when she had left. Now there were three of her own people, including Twitchy, the two soldiers that had been with her previously, Raoul, Flynn, the messenger, the crow, and now Kel, Lerant, and herself. Raoul saw her and said,

"Clearly this one," he gestured to the crow, "Has been around Daine, but he refuses to give the message to anyone but you."

Arie turned to the crow. He was big for his kind, on his leg was a small pouch that he protected. She reached out and offered her hand to the bird. He eyed it and Arie quickly told him,

 _Bite me and I bite you._

The crow made a squawking sound that unmistakably laughter and extended his legs onto her hand moving swiftly to stand on her open palm. Arie undid the small pouch and put the crow on her shoulder. It then proceeded to shit down the back of her cloak. Everyone stifled laughter while Arie gave the crow a nasty look. The creature simply ignored her and preened his feathers until he noticed the ends of her hair. Like Sun he ran his sharp beak through her hair. Arie did her best not to wince as she passed the pouch to Raoul, who took it and read the paper inside.

"Looks like we are right, they are moving towards Port Legann."

Arie's blood went cold. Raoul scanned the map. There were marks of where Kel and her group had engaged in fighting and a rough count, well more than the town's population even if no one had died.

"We'll move out in the morning and help Lord Imrah."

Something foul twisted in Arie's gut, both fear and anger.

"Something wrong," Lerant whispered. Looking down at herself she saw what he had seen. Her body trembled like a leaf. Raoul noticed out of the corner of his eye and directed Lerant to help her sit. While he did that Raoul directed everyone about their tasks to prepare to move to Port Legann, only a small group would stay behind to help protect the people. But Arie was too numb to realize what he was saying. Once that was done and everyone but Lerant, Raoul, and Flynn had left Arie whispered,

"There's something you should know."

Raoul sighed and pulled up a chair and sent Lerant away. Flynn remained, he glowered at Arie from behind Raoul. She sucked in a deep breath collecting her thoughts and trying to think where to begin, but the words spilled out before she could think too much on them.

"I was born in Port Legann. My mother was also. Her family is still there. You already know my mother was a healer, I followed her wherever she went and watched her work." She sucked in another deep breath trying to calm herself.

"It was clear very early on that I knew when people were going to die. Always, I was never wrong, not once. My mother and I would sit with the dying and comfort them. We would both wait with the soul for the Dark God to come take them to the Peaceful Realm. But I was different. The connection I formed with souls gave me strength and peace. My mother fell ill a several years ago, I'm not even sure how many exactly. I went to her family and pleaded for help, she was dying and I didn't know enough, all I wanted was another healer to be brought to see her. They refused. Said they had given her the choice of her old life back and me and she choose me so she was stuck her choice."

Raoul's hands fisted beside him, but Arie was too distracted by the flood of memoires to notice.

"She died just two months afterwards. Without my mother there to shield me, people began to view me with distrust. A wretched thing that could see death and grew stronger from it. I was accused of necromancy."

Raoul took a sharp breath.

"My mother's family allowed me to be chased from my burning home with a mob screaming for my blood. Saying I killed their loved ones and enslaved," she paused swallowing the bile that rose in her mouth. "Their souls."

Raoul put his head in his hands.

"It has been a long time since then, but some people don't forget. I don't know how welcoming the people will be if you bring me. And I would rather my mother's family thought I was dead."

Raoul looked at her for a long time. Flynn stood quietly behind him, no longer glowering at her. After what seemed like an eternity Raoul said,

"I have it on good authority that you are no necromancer. Nor do I now or ever before have believed you to be one. You have saved and protected my men at great personal cost to yourself. You have my protection and the protection of the king. No harm shall come to if I have any say in it."

Arie choked a little and looked at the ground. He really was a strange noble, she thought to herself.


	22. Chapter 22

Raoul excused her after briefly conferring with Flynn they agreed to keep her secret. They even assured her they would keep it between them even within the camp, though Raoul asked for permission to inform the king. Arie nodded in agreement and left to make sure all of her things would be ready. Outside the tent was Lerant, he was trying too hard to appear causal. She clenched her teeth and did her best to bite back the angry remark. As it was her words came out harsher than she intended,

"Have something to say?"

He looked surprised by her outburst and maybe even a little guilty. Arie started walk away angrily when Lerant caught her wrist and pulled her into a hug. She was so startled that for a moment all she could do was stand there.

"I'm sorry," was all he said before letting go. His face was colored red with blush as he rubbed the back of his head. "I'll let you be going. I have to look after my lord." Then he walked into Raoul's tent before she could say anything. Blinking Arie moved off towards her tent. It wasn't until she was about to pull the flap back that she heard the person behind her. She turned, ducked, and backed away from the blow. The fist connected just below her chin, hurting her but it didn't knock her out like her attacker had intended. He was wrapped in dark clothes his face hidden behind a strange mask. His clothes she noticed were slick with something.

Arie took a step back, making sure she was out of immediate striking range. She watched her attacker and circled him in slow movements. Reaching down she grabbed out her sole knife and raised it up between them. Her attacker swung at her again, this time he was faster than the first time; like a force was driving him forward. Fists rained down on Arie's defenses. She snarled, blocked, slashed, and dodged. Finally when she realized she wasn't getting any where she reached for her Gift. Gathering it in her palms she discarded her knife.

"Enough," she snarled as leaped for the man.

He let her get close then raked sharp nails down her exposed skin and smearing the slick substances that coated his clothes on her open wounds. Arie hissed and gripped the man's hands. Already her Gift was working against him. Aging his body.

"Arie!" Kel came around a tent her strange spear in her hand.

"Stay back!"

The man clawed at her ignoring the fact that his body was deteriorating. She kicked the man's feet out from under him and wrapped an arm round his neck. The man continued to claw and rip at Arie's skin not so much to escape but injure her. Seconds later the man went limp in her grasp.

"Go get Neal! Keep your weapon out."

Kel drew her sword and ran off. Arie let the man drop and looked down at her body. Blood had been smeared all over her body. She swore and looked at the man through her Gift. His outer clothing was soaked in poisoned blood. She didn't bother with protection. Already she knew the poison was moving through her body and Gift. Ripping away his outer clothing she found the man underneath was clear of poison. He was here willingly. Reaching out with her Gift she felt her anger spike. She was tired of being hunted, attacked, and belittled. Arie grit her teeth and shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts. In those thoughts lay danger. The poison must have been working through her anger and fear. Quickly she checked his pockets for anything that might help identify him. Nothing.

"Arie," Neal called.

She turned to see the other healer with Kel and was about to snap something at him when she saw another person slinking up behind them; a knife in his hands. She snatched up the knife she had dropped and threw it with every ounce of strength she had. The blade whistled past Kel's face and thumped into the man's throat. He gurgled and clutched his throat before dropping to the ground. Arie felt the man's death, but somehow it was less of a blow than a sudden death usually was. A small part of her mind realized that was not good.

"They are here to infect people," she told them. Neal looked like he was going to go off to check Raoul when Arie grabbed his sleeve. "Wait, you need to purge my body of the poison."

His eyes widened. She felt his Gift rise and he gasped.

"How, it's so far along."

Arie bit her lip.

"I've got nasty things in my past. Anger, a lot of it. The poison is thriving on it. Please hurry." She could feel her anger at her family rising. A voice whispered insidious things. It certainly hadn't helped her telling Raoul and Flynn; the anger was now at the forefront of her mind. Then Neal's Gift flowed into her. She grit her teeth and the her anger spiked and she felt the knee jerk reaction to fight, lash out. Revenge. The word whispered across her mind and she shoved it aside then she threw her memories to Neal. She refused to fall to this, she swore to avenge the dead. The cut on her palm stung and the ribbon on her wrist heated up. Neal shuddered as everything rushed past his mind. Her mother's death, the whispers, the looks for people, the night she woke to find her small hut on fire. Fear and anger burned with the flames as she fled with people chasing her screaming for her blood. Not even a month previously she had healed many of them. Then it was gone, all the memories, the poison, and the voice that had been driving her on. She sighed in relief and sank to her knees. "Thank you."

Neal only stared at her. He had seen quite a few nasty things in his life, Arie could tell, and as he turned to Kel they shared a look that made her think that Neal thought her and Kel had something in common.

"Arie-."

She waved him off.

"We need to sweep the camp for more of them. Travel in pairs."

Neal looked like he was going to argue, but he must have realized Arie had a point. These men where here to infect those who could draw out the poison, but it was unlikely to be the only thing they were doing here. Realization hit Arie and she turned and bolted back to Raoul's tent. She saw a shadow sliding around the back of the tent. Another would be assassin, she wondered and followed. Sure enough the man was dressed as the other two black clothes slick with what she assumed was poisoned blood. Raoul had promised to protect her where others had hunted her, she would not allow harm to come to him.

Arie drew out a knife and came up beside the man. He didn't turn until it was much too late. A blade buried in his side. She had been sure not to hit anything vital. He howled and Raoul, Flynn, and Lerant came out of the tent all of them drawing weapons. Arie restrained the man then carefully burned away the blood and outer clothing with her Gift.

"You are going to answer my questions or I will twist this knife and make life very unpleasant for you."

The man looked at her with a glazed over look. He had stopped howling and was now unnaturally quiet. Unease slithered through Arie.

"I don't think you'll get anything out of him. I think his mind was wiped."

Arie swore and reached out with blue green fire. She felt the man's mind and there was nothing. It shocked her to find it completely devoid of emotion, pain, or even thought; almost as if his soul was no longer there. He was a lump of flesh being directed by something nasty.

"He's a shell," she said in horror, and very nearly let go of him. He collapsed and sickly grey Gift rushed out of his mouth and flew off. Straight for Raoul. A light blue barrier came between Raoul and the mist. What was left of Ark's Gift disintegrated against the blue Gift. Arie turned and saw Zev panting with her hands up.

"That was close," the hedge witch said. Arie had to agree, but she looked at her friend. She was a hedge witch, she shouldn't be able to use her Gift in such a way. Zev looked at her with a slight smile. "Later."

Arie grunted and looked to Raoul.

"I think everyone who is able should be woken up and summoned. We need to check everything in the camp. Then I think we should pack up and leave tonight. Everyone. I won't leave the wounded here even under a guard."

Raoul nodded and turned to Flynn, he whispered to the man who nodded in response. Flynn took Lerant with him and Raoul looked between the two women.

"Are you two my guards?" He wasn't insulting them Arie realized. He was grateful. Arie remembered he had no Gift. She guessed fighting the Gift without one could be frightening. Zev smiled and gestured for him to go back into his tent. Arie heard horses whiny. Glancing at the other woman she nodded, Zev would watch Raoul. She walked out towards where she heard the sounds. It was the strangest thing Arie ad seen in while. Horses, dogs, cats, even some smaller animals gathered in a circle. At the center were two men. One dressed in black like the others and the second dressed in grimy clothes that were smeared in blood. They both had weapons drawn and facing each other.

"Enough," Arie hissed.

SandStorm stepped aside. The man in black looked like he was going to bolt, but NightSky reared threateningly. Her hooves came dangerously close to his face and made the man stagger back. Arie's moved through the small gap between her two horses. Her Gift spilled out of her and she sent it seeking to the man in black. He ran towards the opposite side, a vain attempt to try and duck around the animal barrier. He didn't get far before the other man tackled him.

"Where ya goin," asked the young man who sat on his back.

"Step aside Avery."

"Hello pretty-."

"Avery," Arie snarled.

The young man grinned and pushed himself up away from the man he had tackled. Blue green fire raced over the man in black. His outer black clothes were devoured by her Gift. Then her Gift sank into his skin seeking the foul Gift or more poison. She found neither. Then she turned to the young man and directed her Gift around him. Where most people would have flinched away, he actually opened his arms wide in welcome. Once she was sure there was no poison on him or in him, with a sigh Arie drew her power back into herself.

An arm was thrown over her shoulder. She scowled at the grinning boy. He was tall well muscled, deeply tan, and had the strange eyes. Both irises where a startling glowing silver. His long ebony hair was tied back with a thin strip of leather, somehow his hair still appeared silky and smooth despite the tussle with the man who was now unconscious at Arie's feet.

"Hello my sweet."

Arie grabbed one of his fingers and bent it in a very uncomfortable position. Avery yelped and dropped his hand. Once Arie let go his grin came back,

"Did ya miss me?"

Arie snorted. "Depends, did you get the wagons?"

He bobbed his head eagerly. "Sure did."

"Good, wake everyone and get the wounded packed up into the wagons. We are moving out."

The young man nodded.

"And Avery."

The young man looked at her grinning. "Yes my sweet?"

"I'm not your sweet, but make sure you shower before you handle any of the injured folk. We got enough problems without spreading infection."

He chuckled and saluted her before walking off. Arie turned to eye the man at her feet. Why wasn't he possessed the same way the others were, she wondered as she hauled him up. But she had the sinking feeling that he was a messenger.


	23. Chapter 23

He chuckled and saluted her before walking off. Arie turned to eye the man at her feet. Why wasn't he possessed the same way the others were, she wondered as she hauled him up. But she had the sinking feeling that he was a messenger.

Arie dragged the man back to Raoul's tent. She heard the him speaking to who she assumed was the different leaders of her group and his own.

"I just don't know how we are going to carry all the wounded," Flynn said.

"We aren't leaving them to be fodder for this." That was Raoul.

"It will take weeks just to get them there, we don't have any way to transport-."

Arie cleared her throat as she entered the tent. Everyone turned and looked at her. Arie recognized the leaders of her band; Abba and Mac, Flynn was by Raoul, along with several others in military gear.

"I have a solution."

A slight smile spread across Raoul's face. He didn't seem surprised that she had a way out for them. Her own people looked at her with surprise and relief. They clearly did not want to be left here to face more raids without extra hands.

"When I left, I asked a friend to look at getting a few wagons so that wounded could be moved quickly and safely if need be."

Flynn asked, "And where exactly did you get-."

Raoul elbowed him cutting off what he was about to ask. He knew she had probably obtained them through shady methods, but they needed the wagons to move the injured, otherwise they'd have even more dead.

"As I am not the one who retrieved them I have no idea where they came from, however they will be returned once we are done with them. I'm sure several of my people can even mend them so they are better than new upon their return to wherever they came from. At the moment I don't care where they came from. We need them to move everyone and we need to do it now." Arie saw Flynn and several others raised their eyebrows at her. Some looked like they would even protest. "If you have a problem with this than this where we part ways. I will take my people and those who are too injured to travel by horseback away from here and see to it they are safe." She didn't mention that she would then work from the shadows to do what she could. Already they looked worried at the idea of losing two of three people present who could fight against the poison. Raoul cleared his throat.

"That won't be necessary if you are sure they will be returned with reasonable compensation to the owners." Now he looked at the man who was stirring in Arie's grip. "And this gentleman?"

Arie shrugged.

"He was dressed like and with the others that broke into the camp. He however lacks signs of possession that the others seemed to have had."

Raoul nodded to some of his men who took the assailant from the tent.

"What are you going to do with him?"

She did not want to hand the man over to die, but on other hand she didn't want him reporting back to his master either, and she couldn't baby sit him forever.

"We will hold him with the other man you managed to detain. They will be questioned and then once we are sure we have all the information from them they if they were willing participant they will be handed over to Provost's guard where the courts will deal with them."

Arie let out a small breath of relief.

"What about the search?"

"Everyone who isn't watching over the wounded are being gathered. They should be ready."

Arie suddenly realized she never checked the people in this room or the men that had taken away her prisoner. Quickly she brought her Gift to her eyes and checked the people in room with her. Thankfully there was no tell tale signs of poison. She let out a sigh of relief, that was too careless, she thought to herself.

Arie and Neal walked the lines of people and found only two who had the barest beginnings of poison. Both of them were part of were from the what was left of the village. The first was a husband to one of the band's leaders the other was son of the fur trader who had gone off with those infected with the poison. Neal and Arie took them aside and drew out the poison. Mercifully it was nowhere near as taxing as the other healings had been. Once that was done Arie checked on Zev who was staying with the wounded. Everything was fine.

"Too fine," Zev muttered. "They had plenty of time to cause mischief so why didn't they?"

"Or maybe they didn't just infect people." With that thought she went to the makeshift well that the band had been forced to dig after being cast out. Sure enough the telltale blackness swirled thickly in its depths. Arie swore and went back to the main tent and informed Raoul what she found.

"Anyone who has drawn water from it needs to dump it now. I can clean out anything used to hold it, but it will take too long the clean the well. After everything has been searched we need to leave."

"But we can't leave a poisoned well for just anyone to come across either."

"I can block the well, but we need to move these people to safety, now." Even after having been in Raoul's company for as long as she had she still expected the man to bristle at her giving a command, but instead he nodded and gave the order for all the water and food that may have come in contact with the poisoned water to be dumped. Soon everyone who couldn't ride was loaded into the wagons including the few children that were left. Arie was about to climb up on SandStorm's back when a small hand grabbed the hem of her cloak. She turned to find Jess clinging to her cloak.

"I'm staying with you." Her small voice quivered, but there was steel in her. Arie sighed then pulled her up on SandStorm's back. Her horse friend eyed the child.

 _Don't let her kick me._

 _Don't be such a baby,_ Arie told him as she adjusted herself better. _You good to walk through the night?_

 _I'm not a colt to get startled by the darkness._

 _I wasn't worried about that._

 _I know, I will be fine. You should rest while you can._

Arie yawned.

 _Not likely to happen._

"They are following."

Arie looked down at Jess, but the girl was looking back at the group of ghosts that were drifting along behind the wagons. Arie nearly jerked on the reins when she realized the child could actually see them.

"You see them?"

Jess nodded, but didn't take her eyes off the ghosts. "A man can too."

"Which man?"

Jess shrugged. "He was wounded and with you when you came to the village."

"Could you point him out?"

Jess nodded. Arie sat back and considered this. How on earth was Jess able to see the ghosts and why could she see them and others not, she wondered. Slowly she drifted off to sleep in the saddle.


	24. Chapter 24

Arie was standing on a field. Smoke rose thickly around her preventing her from seeing more than a few feet in front of her. So she carefully picked her way through the smoke. The first signs of battle appeared in the form of a dead horse. Arie ran her hand over the animal's side. It had been dead for a while she could tell, but she didn't feel it. Fear churned in her gut as she stepped around the body. A breeze below against her clothes and pushed out the smoke. As it cleared she got a view of Corus and the vast area around it. The city had burned. Bodies lay strewed between her the husk of the capital, like garbage. Her stomach turned and she wanted to retch her guts out. Then she saw a glowing white mass of ghosts that swept toward her. All the dead. Something in her broke, she had failed.

"No," she screamed, jerked awake, and then nearly fell out of the saddle. She was still on SandStorm. Warmth was pressing into her back and a pair of arms had kept her firmly seated in the saddle.

"It's alright, it was just a dream."

She turned to find Lerant looking at her with concern in his eyes. It took her a moment to calm her racing heart as she shuddered. SandStorm looked back at her, but said nothing. Arie drew in a ragged breath then leaned back into Lerant and closed her eyes to fight back the tears. She wouldn't fail, she swore to herself, it would never happen.

"Do you wanna tell me about it," he whispered in her ear. His hot breath washed over her neck sending goose flesh down her arms. She suddenly realized she was in fact leaning against him and she sat up quickly.

"No, like you said, it was just a dream." She could feel his gaze on her face and she did her best to ignore it, but blush still rose on her cheeks. Then she turned to look for Jess who was no longer in the saddle in front of her. Glancing around she didn't see the little girl or NightSky. "Where-."

"The little girl? She's been helping Neal and that other woman."

"Zev," she corrected automatically. But now she wondered what Jess could do for the other two. That she was aware of the child didn't have any Gift within her.

"Yeah, apparently they are letting her help hold things and fetch things. Little jobs that she can do. She was very insistent that she help because you helped her."

At this Arie realized that quite a bit of time had passed since she had fallen asleep.

"I should be helping them." She made to try and get off, but Lerant held on.

"Except, Neal and the woman," he hurriedly added, "Zev, made it very clear that you needed to rest until we arrive in Port Caynn. And they may or may not have implied that they'd put something very unpleasant in my food if I let you work before then."

Arie turned and gave him the benefit of her gaze. She let him squirm a bit before she sighed and turned back towards the front. She noted Twitchy a few paces ahead of them looking everywhere but where she was. She shot him a withering look and muttered one of his more colorful curses under her breath. Instinctively she knew her mentor was laughing at her.

"How long was I asleep," she asked in an attempt to distract herself from his arms still wrapped around her waist.

"Not quite two days."

"Two days?" That was very startling. But then again, she thought to herself, I have been using my Gift a lot more than I usually do. She and leaned back again trying to ignore the way his warmth seemed to seep into her. "Anything happen while I was asleep?"

He shook his head no.

"No, we've been making good progress, we should be there by nightfall."

Arie was surprised, with all the wounded she had expected it would take closer to a week to get to port Legann, but then again the band of people from Sea King were hardy folks. Something else unsettled her though. She would have thought Ark would have made an attack on this caravan. Logically it made sense, go after the ones who could possibly reveal his identity and were actively working to fix and reverse the damage, she reasoned. So why hadn't he, she was forced to wonder. That thought was put aside as a call came down the line and Arie reached for her weapons instinctively, but Lerant put a hand on her shoulder.

"We made better time than I thought. Scouts have seen our destination."

Arie blinked and looked ahead, she couldn't see anything, but her other senses were telling her that Lerant was right. The smell of salt water hung in the air and the sound of waves crashing against the shore faintly carried to her. All around she heard people whispering in relief. Then she watched Twitchy as her mentor's back seemed a little too straight for the amount of time he had spent in a saddle. She couldn't help but snicker and wondered how she could forget the man didn't like crowded places.

A few more minutes and there was a break in the tree cover. Arie saw the giant curtain wall that surrounded the port city. The castle ramparts towered above the bay and she could just make out the specks manning the walls. She took a deep calming breath as she gazed at her old home. Then it was lost behind trees again.

 _You going to be okay,_ SandStorm asked.

 _Fine._ But Arie wasn't entirely sure if that was true or not. She had deliberately avoided this place for years and now she felt like she was walking into an enemy's den. To distract herself she reached into the saddle bag under Lerant's right leg and pulled a length of twine from it.

"Pardon me." She began taming her wild hair drawing it back into a tight bun. She made sure to twist the green blue ends so they were hidden; with exception to the lock of hair that held the griffon feather was tied to. Hopefully people would just think it was part of the charm. Then she secured her cloak around her neck and pulled the hood over her head.

"Are you so sure people will remember you that you have to hide your face?"

Arie shrugged. "People have long memories for some things, and it's just better to be safe than sorry."

"Shame." At his comment Arie looked back at him curiously. "Your hair is pretty. It's a shame that people don't appreciate its beauty."

Arie blushed and quickly turned to face the other way only to find Twitchy watching her face. She scowled at him and he chuckled before turning back to face the front. But she could tell his gaze continued to scan the area around them for possible attack. None came. They made it all the way to gates only to find they were closed. Raoul had to shout up to the guards though Arie couldn't quite make out what was being said.

"I need to go up there. I am the standard bearer." He let go and shifted so he could slide off the side of Sandstorm. Without a backward glance Lerant mounted his horse that had been tied to SandStorm's saddle and trotted off to join his lord. Already Arie regretted the loss of his warmth. She shook her head to shake off such thoughts. She had work to do, she reminded herself.

Soon the gates opened up and everyone was ushered in. The injured were taken to the infirmary, while those of Arie's people who were healthy were shown to a place they could stay in the mean time. Arie was going to follow them when Avery grabbed SandStorm's reigns. The horse eyed him like he might be good for biting.

"Don't worry. Twitchy will go with them and Abba will go with you to visit the lord."

"And what are you going to do?"

"Return the wagons, of course."

Worry itched at the back of her mind. "I'm not so sure that's a good idea. You'll be handling that many animals and carts. You'll be a sitting duck for those raiders. And I don't like the idea of them have wagons to move people around in."

Avery shrugged, "We have to bring them back soon and we can't take a huge guard. That would risk more people being poisoned."

"I don't like it."

"You worried for me my sweet? I'm touched."

"You're touched in the head," she muttered.

Avery either didn't hear or he ignored her comment.

"I'd be more worried about you. You're the one going into the lion's den."

At the reminder a cool anger started bubbling up inside of Arie. "I'll be fine." She reached down and extended an arm to him. They clasped each at the elbow. "May the gods watch over you."

"May the gods walk with you," he replied.

"So mote it be." They said together. Then Avery let go of her and the reigns then disappeared into the thinning crowd. Arie was shown through the city to the castle stables. Looking around at the city she couldn't help but think it was bigger than she remembered. She was so distracted lost in her memories that she almost didn't notice the little boy grab SandStorm's reigns.

"Ma'am."

SandStorm eyed the boy. Arie slid off and reached into her bag for her purse she kept from the few occasions people did actually pay for healings. She slipped him a silver noble with the penny.

"Be careful with him, he's full of sass."

The boy bobbed his head eagerly. "No worries, we the best with finky horses, ain't nobody better."

Arie gave him a half smile then grabbed her bags slinging them over her shoulder. Neal, Kel, and Tobe were waiting for her at the entrance to the stables. Time to face the past she thought with a sigh.


	25. Chapter 25

Hidden in her hood, Arie climbed the steps behind Neal and Kel. Tobe walked beside her watching Kel's back as if looking for some sign that he was needed. While Raoul, Flynn, and Lerant walked in front. A servant came and greeted them, then directed the group to the Lord's study. It was a dizzying maze of hallways most of which had banners, tapestries, and paintings hung in them. One picture caught Arie's eye. It was a family picture of the Lord of Legann, his first wife, and his young daughter. Arie was so surprised she actually froze on the spot, her gaze fixed on the young girl's face. It wasn't until Tobe grabbed her arm and whispered,

"We are being left behind."

Arie tore her gaze from the picture and hurried after the others. She noted that Tobe took one last look at the picture before going with her. By the time they caught up the others had reached the study doors. Stepping in the room Arie's mouth dropped open at the sight of all the books stacked neatly on the different shelves. She was so distracted she missed the introductions.

"So you're the young lady who brought this blight into the light."

Arie turned to see a round, severe looking man sitting behind the large desk. His pale eyes seemed to bore into the shadows of her hood to see her beneath them. She couldn't help but notice the man looked like he would be cruel if it weren't for the large hound sprawled out across its back at the man's feet. An unmistakable nice dinner plate was on the floor next to the clearly content hound. Arie managed a clumsy bow when she realized what everyone was waiting for.

"Yes, my lord," she slurred in her best common born accent. Neal gave her a slightly suspicious look, Flynn scowled at her, Lerant only stared at her, while Kel remained straight faced as usual. Only Raoul seemed to find it funny. Lord Imrah looked neither affronted nor pleased. Whether it was because he was used to common speak or not Arie couldn't tell, and her anger stirred. She clenched her hands behind her back and did her best to remain invisible, though Imrah didn't seem interested in letting her fade into the background like most people did with servants.

"I've received a report from the king, but I'd like to hear from you what we are up against."

The fire of Arie's anger dimmed, but wasn't yet gone.

"Either you believe the report or you don't. What could I possibly tell you that the king didn't?" There was tension in the room. Arie realized she had slipped again. People didn't refuse nobles if they are a lower class, she reminded herself.

"That's not entirely true. Sometimes the devil's in the details. Little things can make the difference between winning a battle and losing, it can mean the difference between a few lives and hundred being lost."

Arie was so startled by the man's sudden change that all she could do was stare. So this is what a general and war hero looks like, she thought. Finally she remembered herself.

"Telling you will not help, I'll have to show you. But be warned it is not without some risk to you."

Imrah watched her carefully his gaze sliding to Raoul who covertly nodded.

"Alright then, show me."

Slowly Arie pulled a small throwing knife from its sheath that was carefully secured to her wrist and placed the blade on the desk in front Imrah.

"If you don't have the Gift then I need a drop of blood to make the connection."

Imrah eyed the weapon.

"You aren't asking me to stab myself are you?"

"Prick your finger is more like it."

A grin spread across his features. "I'm only teasing." He took the small weapon and pricked his right ring finger. Blood welled up almost instantly. Then Arie reached out with her Gift, just like last time it took the form of a blue green arm and hand that clasped Imrah's hand. His blood seem to fizzle and disappear before both him and Arie were pulled into her own mind.

Unlike last time there was no flood of voices. Imrah; it seemed, kept even his mind quiet, waiting and watching for what she would do. His true self surprised her. He was a leader, that much she had expected, but there was also a compassion for others that was well hidden. This man was a true general. Shoving these thoughts aside Arie built the barriers around the older man's mind and then she focused on the memories she wanted him to see. Like she had done for the king she showed him Mand the farm hand first. Then came Sea King Port and everything she had found there. The slow process of discovering everything she could about this blight, treating it and those that couldn't be saved, and searching for the one who would release such a monster on other people.

All throughout this Imrah was expressionless and none of his emotions came through. It irked her that this man didn't seem to care. Slowly the memories of the failing fight against the poisonous disease rolled by. Arie's barely tempered rage was reignited as she watched the people suffering all over again and as she showed Ark on the ship. The memories wavered briefly under the anger, but she viciously pushed that aside, and the memories came in focus again.

Next came to the field with the King's Own scattered like broken dolls. The feeling of those lives slipping away, and the punch of death. The things that the Queen Rehah shared with her and Raoul about the attackers. Then they were back at Sea King port and looking over the burnt shell of the port town. She showed him the bodies, the memories of those who had passed mingled with the image of burnt or broken bodies. Arie's mind turned to the mayor of the town who had supposed to protected his people. Instead he took money and allowed the suffering of those he sworn to governing.

Not unlike the nobles.

With that thought she thought she saw the image of a younger Anna smiling with Imrah and his wife. This time her anger would not be shoved aside. This time she heard the screams for blood not long after Anna's death. Fear choked the memory as she fled. Dogs bayed loudly behind her, only to be silenced when they released who they chased. Still the humans drove onward, searching, hunting. The walls that protected Imrah bowed and warped before fading. The fear of the memories quickly seemed to take root in him. He instinctively reached for a weapon to protect himself from the pursuers, but like she had been all those years ago, he was helpless.

It suddenly clicked in her mind that this was the past, and it could only hurt her or them if she allowed it. With a scream Arie shoved Imrah from her mind and slammed those memories back into the depths of her own mind.

He sat in his chair taking a deep calming breath. Raoul and Neal stepped closer to the man asking if he was alright or if he needed anything. Kel was supporting Arie by gripping her upper arm. Tobe watched everything with well hidden curiosity.

"I apologize, my lord. It seems the last few months have caught up with me. I hope I didn't harm anyone." She was so startled by the detail of the memories that she had almost forgotten they were in fact memories.

"What was that?"

For the first time she saw what looked like genuine horror and fear on the noble man's face.

"A nightmare. I'm sorry. I did not mean for that to happen."

The general's hand shook as he reached for a glass of juice beside him. He took a quick gulp to calm himself before clearing his throat. Then the fear and horror was gone and back was the self assured general.

"You seem to have the experience with dealing with this. What do you suggest we do?"

Arie swallowed, he was serious she realized. This man actually wanted her opinion and would listen to what she had said.

"Close the gates. Don't let anyone or anything in until they have been searched magically first. Have regular sweeps of the city especially the poorer areas. That's where it will breed unchecked. Those are the people who won't trust your soldiers enough to speak up and those will be the people that won't seek a doctor or healer because they can't afford to."

Imrah rubbed his chin thoughtfully and shook his head.

"I can't close the gates. To do so would cause a panic like you wouldn't believe and I don't have enough Gifted people among the guards to check the whole port."

"Then gather anyone who is Gifted with the sight, healing, or passive magic. Bring them here and have them checked and trained. Partner them with your guards. I would even suggest paying them. This will take them away from their work and families. Many can't afford not to work. So make it worth their while."

Imrah nodded clearly impressed with this plan.

"Very good, Nadia will take you up to your quarters." He now turned to Kel. "I assume you won't mind sharing a room with her?"

Kel gave an easy smile.

"I wouldn't mind at all."

"Good." Then he turned back to Arie. "After Nadia shows you where you will be staying she can take you to get something to eat. I will send out a call and maybe you will have your students by tonight. More than likely it will have to wait until tomorrow to get people here."

Arie opened her mouth to say point out they needed to work on this now when something sharp dung into her arm. Kel's nail. So instead she bowed and did her best to walk straight out the door.

Outside the door Arie let out a sigh. That went better and worse than she had expected.


	26. Chapter 26

Someone lightly cleared their throat, startling Arie. She whirled around to see a young woman who could have only been a few years older than herself. This woman was dressed in a simple cotton dress that was a light and faded blue. However Arie was more concerned about what she saw hidden on the girl's face. Even with the long curtain of ebony black hair covering most of her face, Arie could still see four parallel scratch marks etched onto her left cheek.

"I'm here to take you to your room, my lady."

Arie snorted to herself and then rubbed the back of her head when she realized this woman would stand on proper manners whether Arie told her she was no lady or not. So she sighed and bit back to the comment. Instead she allowed herself to be lead away. Nadia maneuvered maze of hallways and stairs with practiced ease that made Arie think she had lived and worked in the castle for most of her life. Finally they came to a stop outside a large door. Inside there were two beds, a small cot next to the fireplace, a wash stand, and another door that lead off to the bathing room. Nadia went to the bed that was farther away and pulled an old trunk out from under it.

"My Lord has requested that you join him and the others for dinner tonight. It was made clear to him that you may not have anything to wear so he gave leave to borrow one of his daughter's old dresses. We will be having dinner shortly so you might want to bathe now."

Arie's heart skipped a beat as she watched Nadia pull out several dresses.

"I think I'll eat with the King's Own."

"That won't be possible tonight. I'm under the impression that you are to be treated as a guest not a soldier."

"I can't."

Nadia gave her an incredulous look.

"Of course you can."

Blush colored Arie's cheeks. How on earth did she tell this woman that she had never worn a dress, she wondered, much less that these were her mother's things. Nadia watched her expression until a look of understanding passed over her face as she noted Arie's clothes were more for men.

"Have you never worn a dress?"

Arie hung her head in shame. It was one of the few things that her mother hadn't insisted on. In fact her mother seemed convinced it was safer for Arie if people believed her to be a boy. In hind sight she could see that her mother was right to hide as a man even with the protection that Twitchy had come to provide later.

"I can help you. That's why I'm here. Most ladies do need help with the ties so there is nothing to worried about."

Arie nodded mutely, there was no need to say anything about her mother, she thought to herself.

"First things first though, you should probably take a bath." Nadia paused and asked tentatively, "Would you like some assistance?"

Arie blushed scarlet and shook her head no.

Nadia nodded, "Alright, well the tub has been filled and there is soap in the dish. I will be here in case you need anything."

Again Arie nodded and moved into the bathroom.

True to her word, the tub was filled with steaming water and a scented soap sat in the little dish beside the tub. Quickly, Arie stripped out of her dirty clothes. Underneath her skin was a patchwork of bruises and scrapes covered in caked on dirt, sweat, and some blood. Carefully she eased into the water. It felt like heaven to her sore and aching muscles. She hadn't even realized how much she hurt from sleeping in the saddle. After she was relaxed she grabbed the soap and began scrubbing the week's worth of grime off her tanned skin. She was just finishing running a comb through her now cleaned hair when there was a knock on the door.

"Arie? You in there?" It was Kel.

"Yes, I'm almost done."

"No worries, I had a bath in one of the other guest rooms."

Arie grabbed her towel, dried herself off quickly, and then tied it around herself before entering the room again. Kel was standing over by the foot of her bed already in her dress. Nadia was behind her finishing tightening and tying off the sash that wrapped around the lady knight's waist.

"What do you think?" Kel asked.

Arie had to admit the other woman looked beautiful in silver with a white sash wrapping around her waist. She noted the skirt wasn't one of those massive ones that make it almost impossible for a lady to sit without briefly flashing her under garments.

"Very pretty."

Nadia nodded and then seemed to notice Arie's hair. She made a brief O face then went to the trunk and sorted through it. Finally she came back carrying a slim dress that had Arie startled. It was eerily the same color as the ends of her hair. Nadia held it up to Arie and beamed.

"Looks like it would be a perfect fit and it will match the color of your hair." Then realizing she might have over stepped her bounds she lowered her head. "If you like the color."

Arie fingered her hair; she had forgotten that she had taken it down, and nodded.

"That looks lovely."

Nadia quickly scurried about, helping get the dress on and shifting it so it would lay properly. The whole process took a few minutes longer than it should have because Arie fidgeted while Nadia worked. Then Arie plain out squirmed as face paint and other products ladies used were applied to her face. It made her incredibly uncomfortable to have someone putting brushes and other implements so close to her eyes. By the time they finished Nadia was laughing herself silly and Kel had to step out of the room. Arie suspected the knight was laughing at her too.

The maid was disappointed when Arie asked her to tie her hair up so the blue green color wouldn't show, but Arie insisted and asked that Nadia not mention it to anyone. The girl agreed easily and started twisting up her hair and pinning it up into a decorative bun.

"What happened to your cheek, Nadia?"

The other woman's hands froze briefly on Arie's hair, then she tried to continue as if nothing had happened.

"I play with some of the cats here in the castle. One of them scratched me when it got scared by a dog."

The griffon feather that was still tied into Arie's hair warmed against her skin. Lie. That much Arie knew herself. It was true enough that Nadia had numerous scratches down her hands and arms that were from cats. But, Arie reflected, most cats don't leave four separate trenches in skin that are that far apart from each other unless the cat was very large. No, Arie thought, those were made by a person.

"Awfully big cat."

Nadia pretended to be engrossed in finishing up Arie's hair. Arie sighed, she wouldn't force the girl to give up her attacker, but maybe she could prevent another attack and help heal what was already done.

"Will you at least allow me to heal them?"

Nadia paused what she was doing.

"I'm a mage," Arie explained. "And it's the least I can do for you after you've been so patient with me."

Nadia's lips twitched up, but didn't quite make a full smile. "Sure." Nadia finished pinning up Arie's hair.

Arie had the maid sit down on the edge of the bed before she reached into the well of power inside herself. Drawing out the blue green power of her Gift, Arie laid a hand over the torn skin of Nadia's cheek. Slowly the skin twitched and knitted itself back together. When Arie pulled her hand back the deep slices were gone, now only pale scars were in their place. Maybe in a year or two even those would completely fade, Arie hoped. Nadia touched her cheek in surprise then ran to look in the mirror. Arie heard the small gasp come from the bathroom. When she came back out she said,

"Thank you."

Arie shrugged and went to her bag. She found the tangle of charms right where she had left them. Nadia watched as Arie slowly began extracting one of the rose charms from the mass of string and metal.

"These are beautiful. You made them?"

Arie nodded and muttered a curse as she came to a particularly nasty knot. "I had a little bit of help." She swore under her breath until finally the little necklace came free from the rest. "This charm will protect you from those who intend you harm or evil. It has a particularly nasty side effect on men who do not understand the word no."

Nadia opened her mouth to protest, but Arie didn't let her.

"It won't hurt a cat who is defending itself or telling you to leaving it alone. It stops evil and harm not well deserved punishment or accidental play fighting. So any cats that scratch you will be safe unless they mean to eat you."

Nadia smiled a true smile this.

"However it does not stop a death strike."

Nadia stared wide eyed at the little flower.

"Please hold out your hand."

The other girl didn't even hesitate, good, Arie thought. Then as she had done previously, Arie laid the charm in the woman's hand and passed a bit of her Gift into it. The charm glowed the color of her Gift.

"Please don't take it off, it doesn't work if you take it off, however a person can't take it off you."

Nadia nodded.

Kel choose that moment to peak back into the room. "You guys ready?"

Both of them got up and left. Nadia took the lead and lead them through the maze again. Arie was starting to remember the passageways. She even made note of servant doors that they passed just in case. At last they came to a large oak door that Nadia ushered them through, but didn't follow them in. Inside the room was large, a long table was set in the center of the room though only the very end of the table had chairs and place sittings. Imrah sat at the head of the table with Raoul, Flynn, and Abba seated on the left side. Three open chairs were on the left.

"Please sit," Imrah gestured to the chairs to his left. "My wife hasn't been feeling well so she may or may not join us tonight."

Kel took the second closest seat while Arie slipped into the furthest seat from Imrah. Food was brought out by servants and much to Arie's surprise, Lerant. The young man nearly dropped the jug of juice he brought for Raoul when he looked at Arie. Raoul cleared his throat to get the young man's attention. Arie noticed out of the corner of her eye Kel wiped her mouth on her napkin to hide a grin. Sourly, Arie wondered what the lady knight thought was so funny.

After that most of dinner Arie spent quietly and politely eating. The few times she was forced to speak is when Imrah asked her direct questions about different things that related to the work she would be doing. All throughout the meal she could feel the nobleman's gaze on her as if she were some kind of puzzle he was trying to work out. Mercifully dinner was short and Kel got them free even sooner. Arie hung back and waited to speak with Abba. When the big woman exited the dining hall Arie walked up beside her. Abba smiled,

"I was wondering when you were going to come find me."

Arie grunted and Abba raised an eyebrow at her. Arie sighed,

"How is everyone? No problems during the journey?"

"There were no problems with the journey. We are settling into some into houses not far from here. There were some grumblings because it would be more cramped than what people are used to, but they'll get over it or they'll be put in their place."

Arie nodded, Abba was not a woman to cross lightly.

"What about the injured?"

"Almost better off than those who aren't." Arie was surprised by this. "The lord gave Sir Neal control over the largest clinic in the city. Everyone is getting treated."

Arie let out a sigh of relief then asked, "You haven't had any trouble from the lord's men?"

"We have not had been here long enough to have them trouble us just yet."

"Please be su-."

"You will be the first to know if and when that changes."

Arie blushed and looked down at the floor. "Sorry, I don't want to do your job."

Abba laughed and patted her on the shoulder. "You are a good woman Arie. Even though you are young you have cared for and protected people even though it may cost you to do it. Those people that see that and respect you for it." She paused and was thoughtful for a moment. "I sense a storm coming and not the rain kind. Remember what I've said." There was silence between them for a long time, before Abba added, "I think you may have forgotten your newest chick."

Arie growled softly and Abba chuckled. "I never forget."

"I know, that's why I asked if it would be alright if little Jess stayed with you. I think she would feel safer with you and the Lady Knight anyway."

"Thank you."

Abba laughed again.

"Don't thank me just yet. I think that girl might stick to you like honey sticks to fingers."

Arie sighed, that would be okay.


	27. Chapter 27

"Abba, I have a request if you aren't too busy."

The older woman didn't say anything, merely raised her eyebrows.

"Can you take me down to see everyone? I wanna check to see how they are all doing."

A smile tugged at the corner of the older woman's lips.

"Don't trust me to look after them?"

Arie blushed a deep scarlet. "That's not it at all! I don't-."

Abba laughed and patted her on the shoulder.

"I'm sure everyone would appreciate a visit."

Arie noticed the other woman glanced around subtly checking for anyone who might be listening in or following too closely.

"Speaking of people who would like to see you, that squire lad seemed quite taken with you."

The blush that had only just disappeared came back full force. Abba chuckled to herself.

"I wondered if you had noticed."

"Of course I noticed." She didn't like the amused look on the older woman's face. It was too much like Twitchy's expression when he had asked is she had her mother's charm.

"I have known you for many years now child. Never once have you showed any interest in any boy or men," she gave Arie a wink, "who came to call. Not even the sweet boy who first brought you to our village."

Arie snorted, "Avery is just teasing. He doesn't-."

"But he does. To you he is a friend, but to him you are something much more." Abba patted her head affectionately. "But you don't have to worry too much. I just wanted to make sure you knew. Being fore warned is being fore armed. And those two boys will butt heads."

Arie didn't want to think of Avery like that. Couldn't think of him like that, not after he had saved her all those years ago. But she knew she would have to make her own wishes plain to both boys.

It didn't take long for Arie and Abba to reach the tenets that were being used as temporary housing for the inhabitants of Sea King. The buildings were a little run down, but certainly in better shape than the huts that had been hobbled together in the forest. Arie went first to the families. She talked with each family, making sure they had everything they needed. Several children came racing over and tugged on the skirt of her dress. They jumped up and down asking when she would play with them again. She promised she would when she had time. Once they scattered back to their families Jess came over and clung to the fabric of her skirt.

"You are going to be staying with me and another lady. Is that alright with you?"

Jess's eyes lit up with such hope and fear.

"I'll keep my word Jess, as long as you want to stay close you can."

The young girl nodded wordlessly. Arie half smiled and moved off to speak with the perspective leaders of her little band. Abba had gathered them while she had been speaking to the families. Arie lead the group away from the rest of the families and proceeded to tell them about the mayor's treachery. The group rumbled ominously. She could see the anger and betrayal etched into their bodies. Clenched fists and jaws, shocked distant expressions, and a trembling hand. Arie's own anger rose in response. The mayor would face justice.

"Not much that can be done now. Let the King's Own hunt the mayor and find the others. In the mean time we have a duty to take care of the rest of the town folks." Abba was ever the voice of clam reason, though Arie knew she was by far the angriest. She looked to Arie, "I've got things worked out here, but you should go check on those in the clinic."

Arie knew a dismissal when she heard one and quickly bowed her head and moved off. Once she was far enough away Jess tugged on her skirt.

"Why did the mayor do it? He wasn't infected."

Arie looked down into big eyes that had seen far too much already. She briefly wondered if she should keep the truth hidden. Arie discarded that thought quickly. Jess was trusting her to be honest.

"Money was a big part, but I don't think that's the only reason."

Jess looked down and nodded. "He doesn't like you. He says you're a monster."

The words were razor sharp to Arie's heart.

"I think he knew you before he became mayor."

Arie shrugged, but as she thought about it she realized it was entirely possible that the mayor had been part of the mob that had driven her out of Port Legann after her mother's death. It had been only recently that the mayor had moved to Sea King and gained the position of mayor. She was forced to set those thoughts aside when she stepped into the clinic.

The smell of blood and antiseptics was heavy in the air to the point it was almost cloying. A few doctors moved up and down the lines of cots checking the patients. From the way things looked, no one was in serious danger. Though there were a few people that doctors seemed to linger close to. Most of the patients themselves were asleep and the few that were awake were whispering quietly to a neighbor. As Arie scanned the lines Jess tugged on her skirt again and pointed to two men near the back corner.

"He's the one who can see the ghosts too." Jess was pointing to the young soldier who belonged to the King's Own that had nearly died at the hands of the Stormwings. Arie reached down and took the young girl's hand.

"Do you want to come with when I speak to him or would you rather stay here?" Arie noted the small hand that was still fisted in the fabric of her dress tightened. Well, that answers that, she thought to herself and moved over to the two brothers. The older brother looked up when they were almost to them. He whispered something to his brother who turned over to look at them. His gaze moved over Arie's face without recognition at first. Then his gaze shot back to her eyes and moved toward her hair. His eyes widened in surprise.

"My lady!" The young soldier sat up and did his best to bow as deeply as his bandages would allow. Something that pained him. Arie put a hand on his shoulder and helped ease him back to a more comfortable position. The older brother whispered something in a language that Arie didn't know. The younger brother shot back in the same language. Whatever he said the older brother clearly thought it was amusing. Arie notice blush was creeping across the younger man's face as he grit his teeth. A slight smile pulled at Arie's lips as she remembered something similar happening between her and her mother.

"I'm glad to see you are both doing well."

Both men looked at her then quickly averted their eyes. She glanced down at her dress wondering if it had been ripped. The dress was undamaged and there were no stains left over from dinner. She pushed that thought aside reminding herself that she had much more important things to worry about.

"I appreciate the belief of me being a lady, but I am a common born woman so there is no need to be formal with me. I came to check on how you were all doing. Is there any excessive pain or strange feelings around any of your injuries. Anything we should know?"

The elder brother patted his chest with a grin.

"Healthy as a horse. Zev says I'll be able to leave tomorrow."

Arie did her best to hide her surprise. Zev was not the type to give her name casually to other people, even patients. But then again this young man seemed nice enough and handsome. Arie just hoped her friend didn't get too distracted. That thought died in her mind when she noticed the look on the younger man's face. He was pale and looked almost frightened. Arie knelt down beside him and felt his forehead.

"You feeling alright?"

He bit his lip and nodded. Arie adjusted her skirt so she could kneel on the ground and began checking the young man for infection. The man balked when she began removing his bandages.

"Your dress-"

"Can be replaced. You however, cannot be."

The elder brother watched his younger brother with fear in his eyes and was already starting to stand. Arie saw Zev come up beside the older brother,

"I think you and I need to get fresh air." She told the older brother. He was about to protest. "No worries, he is in good hands." Zev's tone was soft and reassuring as she lead the older brother away. Several men whistled and made comments as the two passed by. Arie's sharp gaze shot over the patients silencing many of the comments mid way.

"I take it everyone is feeling much better and can be moved to from the clinic to the regular housing. I hear work starts early there." That chased away most of the grins in all but the two or three who knew it was an empty threat. "Rest now."

Zev shot Arie an appreciative look as she walked out. Arie glanced at the other men making sure most were following her advice to rest. Then just to be safe she reached out with her Gift and helped them into a deep sleep. Once that was done she turned back to the younger brother.

"I'm sorry, there was no time to learn your name when we first met. I'd like to know it now."

The blush that colored his face now swooped down his neck.

"Obi," he muttered.

Arie nodded laid her hands over Obi's chest. Her Gift entered his body and began the slow process of healing and easing the pain.

"Well Obi, you're body is healing well all things considering. So what is it that is weighing on your mind so much that you'd risk making yourself sicker?" She didn't want to come out and ask him, he needed to trust her if she was going to be able to help him.

"Is it true," he whispered.

"Is what true?"

"Everyone from our unit is dead?" At his question Arie had to resist the urge to sigh in relief. He wasn't talking about her magic, however she had the feeling she would need the whole truth here, and Obi's next words confirmed it. "Because that can't be. I saw Ben the first night I woke up. We enlisted together," he added. "We talked while I was alone and the nurses were sleeping."

Arie glanced around and sure enough there was a young soldier's ghost hovering in the corner. She pointed to the ghost and asked,

"Is that him?"

Obi nodded and Arie bent her head. She hated this kind of thing. Telling people that their loved was dead or going to die was never an easy task. She toke a moment to steal herself before whispering,

"Ben would you come here?" Arie didn't use magic to compel him; she didn't have to. The ghost walked to them like he would have in life, moving around the cots and sleeping people to stand on the opposite side. Ben looked at Arie regretfully, she suspected that he knew what she was going to do and he didn't want Obi knowing that he was gone forever. "Everyone in your unit with the exception of you and your brother are dead."

Obi blinked like he didn't understand the words that came out of her mouth. Ben clamped a hand over his mouth and chuckled at the look on his friend's face.

"You do see him standing there, you hear him laughing."

Arie nodded and scrubbed at her eyes with her hand. "Try touching him."

"What does that have to do with," his words dropped off as Ben's hand passed seamlessly through his friend's stomach. Both men stared at each other for a long time. Ben was clearly trying to make Obi believe, while Obi was trying to make Ben real. Finally Obi's expression cracked, realization dawning that his friend was truly dead. Greif and pain threatened to push the young soldier to the brink of tears. "How? How can I see him? Why hasn't the Dark God," he swallowed not willing to finish the last sentence.

"I don't know for sure about how you can see him and the others, but I have a theory if you'll humor me and answer some questions."

Obi nodded wordlessly.

"What do you remember from your rescue?" Arie was grateful that Obi actually took his time to think about his answer before responding.

"I was in a lot of pain. I could hear my brother whispering to me. He was too tired to carry me any further. Then there was rumbling, and I think something was about to attack us, but no attack came. Then everything became distant, like I was moving away. You told me to stay," he bit his lip in concentration. "I was slipping away. I was dying." His eyes widened and he looked sharply at Arie. "I died."

"Actually you didn't. Not that it wasn't a close thing. Your soul was starting to slip to the Dark God's realm, but he said you could be saved. So I followed you and brought back the part of you that was slipping away. Had you gone any further I wouldn't have been able to do anything without becoming a necromancer." She would not lie to him. "And I would not have brought you back if you had reached that point." She made sure she let him see the truth of her words in her eyes. That was a line she would not cross, because people's souls deserved respect and dignity.

For what could have been seconds or minutes Obi watched her, trying to decide whether he believed her or not. It was Ben who made a grunt and Obi nodded in agreement.

"We believe you."

Arie was shocked by the almost instantaneous relief she felt. This kind of trust and faith had been almost nonexistent growing up and now she was getting it from the least likely of places.

"Alright then, have you been told much about what our mission is?"

Obi nodded at Ben.

"He filled in a lot blanks for me."

"Well that means this will be easy for once. Basically those infected by this madness that are killed or killed by someone infected can't move on. I think, you can see the ghosts because you nearly died at the hands of someone who was infected. You got very close to death and some of the Dark God's realm might have lingered with you. Unless you saw ghosts before the incident?"

Obi smiled wryly, "Can't say that I did."

"Then that's my best guess as to why you can see them."

"Is that why you can see them?"

He was sharp, Arie noted to herself. Her instinct reaction was to let him believe that, but the ribbon on her arm warmed encouragingly, making her shudder. The Grave Yard Hag had warned the gift would do odd things. She just prayed it was right.

"No, I see ghosts because my magic is akin to them. I can walk back death or forward and I can do so to anything that decays or breaks." She watched his face as he absorbed what she had told him. At first his expression was just blank, then something subtly changed that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"That's one hell of a Gift." It wasn't negative, actually almost reverent. He laughed lightly, "I'm alive thanks to your Gift and I think if you were a necromancer the Dark God would have punished you when you were leading me back."

"Well, that's," she struggled to find words for what this was. "Generous of you."

Obi laughed again then started to cough, his face became drawn and pale. Arie reached out with her Gift and helped easy the stress on his lungs allowing him to breathe easy again. She noted the sweat that had broken out on his forehead.

"I'm going to help you to sleep. I think you could use a bit more."

Obi looked like he might argue, but thought better of it. He laid back and let Arie's magic sink into him. In moments, he was fast asleep. Arie sighed and rose. Ben had vanished while she had been helping Obi, but she suspected that he wouldn't go far from his friend. Then Arie looked to Jess who stood quietly watching.

"Most people your age would have trouble keeping quiet after listening to all of that."

Jess shrugged and looked at the floor guiltily.

"It's alright to have questions and to ask them. I just wanted you to know I was very impressed. Many adults struggle to do that."

Jess looked up at Arie meekly, but nodded.

"Shall we head back? I don't know about you, but I'm tired."


	28. Chapter 28

Arie and Jess made it back to their room not long after the sun had well and truly set. Both of them were s exhausted that they fell into their beds without even glancing at Kel's bed. Arie sighed in pleasure as warm soft sheets wrapped her in a cocoon of warmth. The last thought she had was that she could finally get good rest, before sleep swallowed her.

It was maybe an hour before dawn and a hand shook Arie awake. She stared bleary eyed at the figure who stood over her then glanced at the window which was still dark.

"There better be horde of vicious bandits knocking on the gates if you are waking me up at this ungodly hour."

Kel chuckled.

"You said you wanted to help me practice my throws and you've been unavailable for the last few days."

Arie sighed, she had in fact promised to help, however, now she wished she had realized when Neal had said 'at the crack of dawn' he really meant a little bit before dawn. Kel looked down at her patiently.

"If you don't want, you don't have to."

Arie grumbled, now she had to. She regretfully pushed back the warm blankets and sat up scrubbing the last bits of sleep from her eyes.

"Give me a minute to get ready." She moved as quietly as she could over to her pack and pulled out a clean pair of soft pants, a tunic, socks, and her boots. It took her only a few seconds to get dressed. "Do I need to bring anything," she asked the knight.

Kel shrugged, "Nothing, but you unless you want to show me a few tricks with a knife."

Arie grabbed her blunted knives from another pouch in her bag. Then she moved to follow after Kel when she noticed Jess sleeping soundly on her own cot. It was possible the girl would panic if she woke to find Arie had left. So she bent down and gently shook her awake. Jess stirred then blinked at her.

"I'm going to go practice with Lady Kel. You can stay and sleep or you can come with." Arie noticed the child came instantly wide awake.

"I'm coming." She threw off her blanket and grabbed her clothes before changing in a flash. Arie couldn't help the sad smile.

Together the three of them made it to the courtyard and practice began. Kel explained the different holds and how to properly get out of them. Most of the time Arie caught on quickly. Twitchy's training served her well. Plus her natural inclination to keep people at arm's reach meant that Kel had trouble getting a hold on her. On the occasions she did, Arie hurt. She could practically feel all the years of training the lady knight had under her belt. The last time Arie felt the hold succeed, her feet were suddenly out from underneath her and she crashed down o her back with the air whooshed out of her lungs. For a long moment she didn't move from the grass. It wasn't until Kel stood over her concern in her eyes that Arie said,

"I see why Neal takes a pass on this." She could have sworn the knight looked like she was going to laugh.

"You get used to it," the other woman promised solemnly.

Arie groaned and pulled herself to her feet with the help of Kel's extended hand. Her body ached as she rose.

"Give me a minute."

"Or we can switch to you teaching me," she offered.

Arie nodded. She found herself liking the lady knight more and more. It was rare to find someone who read situations as well as her and could find diplomatic ways to resolve problems while satisfying everyone's pride.

Arie went over to Jess who held her knives while Kel had practiced throws on her. Jess she noticed seemed very enthralled with the process. Arie was certain that at different points the girl tried to mimic her or Kel's moves. Learning self defense did make a person more secure in themselves, she thought to herself. So she waved for Jess to follow. They went over basics of a knife first. Like recognizing a well balanced knife for throwing and proper grip when holding it verses throwing it. By the time they were done the sun was just starting to rise and hunger gnawed at their bellies.

This time Arie was grateful to be able to eat in the dining hall with King's Own. She had no desire to be around Lord Imrah just yet. They ate in relative silence with the occasional chatter from the different men who sat down with them. It wasn't until Lerant sat down beside her and pushed a mug of something foul looking towards her.

"Neal said since you didn't drink it the last few days you have to drink it now, and once you're done you guys are supposed to look over your new students."

Arie glared at the offending cup before taking it and sipping it. The taste made her gag and her stomach roll.

"Gods," she muttered, "What did I do to deserve this." She shuddered, but knew she would have to drink the rest of it. She pinched her nose and finished the drink as quickly as she could. After it was gone she put her head on the table. "Someone please pass me some bread or something to get that foul taste out of my mouth." She was surprised when Lerant handed over his bread roll without even blinking. "If you hadn't been the one who brought that stuff I'd kiss you." Her words startled her, almost as much as his blush.

"Can't really refuse Neal," he mumbled.

On the other side of Arie Kel grunted, "Neal takes other people's health very seriously. He can be very scary when he needs to be."

"I sense a story to this."

Kel shrugged, "Not much of a story. A man was abusing his servant and Neal may have worked a bit of magic on him."

"Oh? What kind of magic?"

Kel shrugged, "I'm not a mage."

"Uh-huh," Arie was about to ask further questions when Tobe came and tapped Kel's shoulder.

"Lord Raoul wants to see you." The boys eyes briefly flickered to Arie and she got the distinct impression that whatever Raoul was going to talk to Kel about had to do with her.

Kel excused herself and Arie sighed,

"Alright, I guess we need to get going too."

Lerant lead her to a large room that Arie suspected was were state functions were held. Only now it was filled with two groups of people. To one side seemed to be mostly soldiers or wealthier people; presumably they all had the sight. The next group was working class people and the poorer hedge witches, this group easily outnumbered the first. They were all talking and Arie sighed to herself. This was going to be a long process of weeding out people who could do what they needed.

Neal walked up beside her and looked a little haggard.

"Looks like we have our work cut out for us."

"What's the plan?"

Neal chuckled, "This is your idea, you lead."

Arie had the a uncomfortable feeling well up inside her and she hesitated. Then a small hand grabbed her fingers. She turned to see Jess looking at her with such absolute faith that it shook Arie to her core. People were depending on her. Could she do this, could she lead this many people? Then she thought of Sea King, the ashes, the ghosts. She started this so now she had to finish it. The ribbon at her wrist warmed. Arie smiled, she could not fail.

"Pardon me." Arie said in a voice that usually carried pretty well, but with everyone else also speaking it was hard for anyone to hear her. She sighed and scrubbed her eyes. After gathering her patients, breath, and magic she opened her mouth and yelled, "Silence!" Her voice boomed in the large room causing a lot of the people gathered to jump or cringe, but they did fall silent.

"Some lungs." Neal muttered to Lerant.

Arie scowled at them then addressed the two crowds.

"All of you were informed we need healers and those with the sight, is that correct?"

There were muttered yeses and the soldiers said yes ma'am.

"Alright we are going to set up tests so we understand what everyone is capable of. Then once we have everyone grouped by what you can do we will explain why your services are required. Any questions?" Arie saw Neal wince when she asked the last question.

Instantly Arie knew why. Those who were not soldiers but were still grouped over by them all voiced demands to know various things. At one point a particularly belligerent man grabbed her arm and squeezed her wrist, demanding to be informed of what was going on. Arie smiled pleasantly at him and whispered in a deathly serious tone,

"If you do not let go of me, you might not get that hand back intact."

The man turned red his fluffy mustache twitched irritably and he opened his mouth to say something, but Arie didn't give him the chance to speak. With the heel of her palm she smashed into the man's nose causing him to let go her, step back, put a hand to his bleeding nose. Arie stepped forward and kicked his legs out from underneath and sent him sprawling across the stone floor.

"Listen, and listen very closely, everyone." She made sure everyone was paying attention to her before she said, "You will listen and do as I say. Anyone who has a problem with that can leave now." She wasn't surprised when no one moved or even seemed to breath. "I will not tolerate being manhandled, nor will allow anyone to do the same to you. From this point on you who stay are going to be part of a corps of doctors which means you can't think of yourself first." She collected her Gift in her hand and staunched the bleeding in the man's nose. Arie was glad she had held back, because a broken nose would have been a lot harder to fix and she wouldn't have energy for the rest of the day. Then she helped the man to his feet. He staggered away from her looking furious, but he said nothing.

"Alright, shall we get started," Neal asked clearly very amused at the man's expense.


	29. Chapter 29

The first day was basically her and Neal figuring out who could do what. Most of them that could do healing were also able to look into a person's body once Arie explained how to. A few with the sight got set away because they could see the future or dream of it, those people Arie made sure had a good meal before she sent them on their way. That night she was once again forced to dine with the Lord Imrah and Sir Raoul. The older man seemed to keep an eye on her and did his best to get her to open up. Arie stubbornly kept gave the shortest possible replies that bordered on rude. Often Raoul and other dinner guests seemed to be doing their best not to choke on their food whenever she spoke. At one point Kel even stepped on her foot when it was obvious Arie had been about to say something truly rude. After dinner she would go down and check on her people with Jess, then walk the streets of Port Legann to re-familiarize herself with the layout. Lastly she went to go see SandStorm and NightSky so she could brush and feed them.

The next day Arie joined Lady Kel for practice in the morning, she then began explaining the poisonous disease to her new students that afternoon; how it worked, how it spread, what it looked like in different stages, and what to wear to protect themselves from it. At one point Neal brought out three small glass jars. One had water, another had some kind of spirits in it, and the third looked to be blood. One glance with her Gift showed all three were contaminated the curse that they were fighting. It worried her at first that he had carried these little fragile jars filled with horrors until she also noticed several layers of Neal's green Gift wrapped around the jars and corks. A person would be hard pressed to break the jars, much less open them.

She called everyone over so they could all take turns seeing what exactly they were looking for. The man who had grabbed her the previous day muttered something under his breath as he past her. No doubt it was a lovely comment towards her, Arie thought sourly. Everyone had just finished looking at the contents of the jars when the loud blast of the watch horns went off. Everyone stopped talking and rushed to the windows to see what was going on.

"Sergeant Argus," Arie addressed a soldier in his mid forties with black hair aside from a single thick lock of white hair that fell in his face. "What do those blasts signal?"

"There is an attack at the docks." The man's hand reached for his sword, but he hesitated.

Arie nodded. "Stay here Sergeant if you have healing. We will need all the healers we can get. If not then go, take those soldiers who can't heal, make sure you all keep in mind what I said about how this stuff spreads."

Argus bowed his thanks and then turned and bolted yelling for those soldiers who didn't have a healing Gift to follow him. The Arie turned to everyone who was still gathered around the windows watching to see what was happening.

"Alright," Arie barked out over their conversation. "It's time we earned our pay. Get the garments on and be ready. We will have a lot of work ahead of us."

Arie was surprised that everyone; even those who didn't like her, did as she bid. Men and women slipped the protective garments over their own clothes and made sure everything was tightly secured. Then Arie lead the way down to the hospital. There she found her people from Sea King had donned similar garments to what she and her healers were wearing. They had also prepared stretchers and moved people who no longer needed to be in the clinic into the housing set aside for her people. Healing herbs, salves, tools, basins of clean water, and bandages were laid out and ready for use. Arie could have kissed Abba, knowing the older woman had taken care of all of this the moment the horns had blasted.

Now we wait, Arie thought grimly. It itched at her that she couldn't help in the battle but she also admitted she wouldn't be able to do much, not with everyone clashing together, she would run the risk of accidently magicking an friend as easily as she might an enemy.

After several long minutes there were three short blasts from the horn. A soldier told her that it meant things were all clear. Arie divided her group in half, some to stay and tend the hospital the other half would bring up people on stretchers who needed to be carried. Then they were on their way down to the docks. As they approached Arie could smell the stench of fish that had once when been familiar to her. Now there was an undertone to the fish. Blood.

Arie turned the corner and her Death sense hit like a sludge hammer to the chest. She stopped where she stood and struggled to get breath into her lungs. Eventually she mastered the feeling and was able to look around her. The wood planks were slick with salt water and blood. Bodies were scattered across the docks, many struggled to sit up and move, others didn't stir at all. The dead were being dragged aside by soldiers, some of whom were wearing no protections against contamination. Arie directed one of her soldiers to address those soldiers and have them all report to the clinic immediately. The rest she divided up into pairs to help carry the wounded. Others she put to work collecting the bodies.

Only once everyone was working did Arie move to the blood soaked planks and lay her hands on the blood. Looking through her Gift she could see most of it was thick with the black poison. Now that blood was dripping into the harbor where it could contaminate the fish and water. Anger burned in her stomach and fueled her Gift as she sent it out seeking every bit of poison. Her Gift devoured the blood leaving the wood cleaner than it had been in years. Her Gift went seeking even into the water destroying the blackness where she found it. She thanked the Gods that the creatures of the harbor were smart enough to leave the poison alone and swim away.

She was just finishing cleaning the water when a screech echoed above her. Sharp pain dug into her shoulder snapping her out of her concentration. It was then she became aware that the band wrapped around her wrist was burning her wrist.

Sun's clacked his beak in her ear.

 _Your warning does no good if you don't listen to it._ The hawk reprimanded her.

Arie nodded and winced as the talons pulled free of her flesh. "I'm sorry, I forgot."

 _Well stop that._

There was nothing Arie could say to him, she merely looked around to find all of the bodies and wounded had been taken away and the area was clean. Some of the stones showed signs of magical fire, so someone had been helping to clear away the blood. Arie sighed and looked up at the sky. Only a few hours had passed this time, but she needed to be careful because she knew she wouldn't always have someone there to snap her out of her trance.

"Time to get back to work."

Sun glared at her. He didn't need to say anything for Arie to know what was on his mind.

"No more Gift," she promised. "Not until I eat something, and give it a chance to replenish at least."

Sun shook his feathers out in a way that could have been a shrug, then he took off, and flew in the general direction of the stable yard where SandStorm and NightSky were housed. Arie sighed and stared up at the hill she would have to climb in order to get back to the clinic.

"Staring at it won't make it any easier," she reminded herself out loud before trudging back up to the road. She kept her gaze fixed on the road as she walked, but Arie could feel the gazes of people hidden away in their homes and businesses. Most of the residents would wait for a while before they ventured out into the streets again. Arie couldn't help but pray no one watching her had recognized her or her Gift.

By the time she made it back to the clinic it was a mad house. People were running to and fro through the pathways between the cots. The dying and wounded were crying out in pain. Thos who were badly infected had to be strapped down to prevent them from attacking other people. Neal and a few others worked tirelessly on those people. Arie even noticed the noble man holding the hand of a flailing woman. He murmured soft words to her as he drew out the sick black goo that clung stubbornly to her.

Arie turned sought out the worst wounded, those that called strongly to her Gift and began stitching and bandaging wounds. She would have to wait with helping Neal until her Gift was replenished. As she worked assistants appeared beside her and did as she directed; holding wounded limbs still for stitching or cleaning wounds that were caked in dirt and blood.

Day faded into night without Arie even noticing. Lanterns were lit around the cots so the medics and doctors could work. Arie had just finished stitching a nasty leg wound when a hand tapped her on the shoulder. She turned to see Jess staring at her, her eyes were filled with worry.

"Whatcha ya need little one?"

"He said you need to rest." Jess was pointing to Neal who sat cross legged on one of the few empty cots, a bowl of what looked like soup in his hand.

When Neal noticed her gaze he waved her over to him and indicated another bowl beside him. Arie sighed, she needed to eat and rest, even she couldn't keep going forever.


End file.
